Genelia Raye Bjerg

Genelia “Gill” Bjerg was born in Coos Bay, OR and raised in North Bend, OR. She was the daughter of the late Lawrence and Uarda Burns. She is survived by her Siblings: Lawrence Burns, Mark Burns, Suzanne Tobin, her daughter, Tanya Beaulieu (Aaron), her son Jason Bjerg and grand-pets: Molly (an English Bulldog), and Carter & Haylen (two Bengal kittens). She is preceded in death by her parents and her siblings Paul Burns, Korle Henderson, and Joe Burns.

Gill spent her career in finance. She worked for the City of West Linn for 29 years. Most of her co-workers knew she was tough at work but had a deep loving heart. She was a wealth of knowledge at City Hall. Gill’s favorite colors were teal and peach. She was so excited when she bought her house and was going to decorate it in those colors along with all her matching and coordinating antiques. The house turned out perfect and exemplified all that she was! Yanni was her favorite musical artist and she loved to have his music playing during the holidays.

The family had a blast taking trips when Tanya and Jason were younger. Camping trips were big and they spent many days camping and boating at Detroit Lake with family and friends. Their biggest trip was a two-week trip from Oregon to Wyoming. The family hitting water parks along the way and then a full week exploring Yellowstone National Park. One night they all got scared because bears showed up at the campsite looking for food. Thanks to dad's quick thinking he scared them away. The family spent many summers traveling for soccer tournaments for Jason and Tanya. Gill always made sure she was at each and every game and always felt bad if she had to miss one because the kids were playing at the same time.

Tanya remembers, “My mom was our biggest cheerleader through our life. Even if she didn't always agree with what we were doing, she would support us. She worked so hard to provide everything for us. With both Jason and I playing competitive soccer it was expensive. So, she worked extra jobs to help cover the cost so we could chase that dream. She had the biggest heart and would do anything for the ones she loved. If you needed help moving, or some extra funds because things were tight, she was right there, and she never asked for anything in return. She loved Christmas! Her Christmas village took her weeks to put up but was always so beautiful. She has to have a real tree every year, so every year even when we were older, we would go out to help cut down the Christmas tree.”

Jason shares, “It is hard for me to point at one thing in my life and say that is a special memory since my entire life has been one special memory of my mom. I had the greatest mom in the world. She was always supportive of everything I have ever done. She would bend over backwards for me to play any sport I wanted to play or any hobby I found an interest in. There were many occasions where we would have to be up at 3am to drive hours to a soccer game. I would get to sleep in the car, but she wouldn’t rest. We would get home and she would get right to work cleaning, doing laundry and making dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to call mom.”

Gill loved gardening; she loved it so much she would go to Jason’s house when he lived near her, to work on his yard. She had a great green thumb; she could make any plant come back to life. She enjoyed art and antiques. When she would come visit Tanya and Aaron in Arizona, she and Tanya would scour antique stores and galleries looking for treasures and rare finds. Her favorite time was going to Sedona and looking at all the beautiful art galleries there.

Tanya’s favorite memory was on her wedding day to Aaron. It was a special day for her and her mom. “We just enjoyed the time we had getting ready together and getting all the tables set up just like we had planned. It was so peaceful and special for her and I. We both knew I was about to start a new chapter in my life, but we knew that wasn't going to change the relationship we had together. She made the day perfect and all that I had dreamed of as a little girl.”