Laura Reisman Viise, Formerly of Southampton, Dies October 17

Laura Reisman Viise, formerly of Southampton, died on October 17 at her home in Oak Park, Illinois, after a three-year battle with glioblastoma. She was 54.

Born Laura Wynne Reisman on September 22, 1969, in Southampton, she was a woman of strong faith, her family said, and a brilliant student who graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana.

She initially pursued a graduate degree at Dartmouth University, but transferred to Northwestern University when she moved to Chicago to marry her husband, John Viise. They were married on April 23, 1994, in Wilmington, Delaware. She ultimately received her graduate degree in molecular biology and proceeded to pursue work in her field.

Viise loved earnestly and possessed an authenticity that allowed her to connect with others quickly, her family said. She never met a baby she didn’t hold and love and when her oldest, Gus, was born in 1999, she decided to pursue a career in a role she adored more than being a molecular biologist, full-time mother.

She was baptized alongside her son Gus at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Oak Park on January 9, 2000, and in time she and her husband had three more sons: Lars, Darrell and Hans. She believed the evidence of God’s existence was all around us and her scientific training only enhanced that belief, her family said. She did not make major decisions in life without thoughtful reflection, they said.

She loved music and attending live concerts and her mind was packed with a ridiculous number of lyrics from artists like Bob Seger, The Eagles, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, and Billy Joel.

She also enjoyed travel. As a junior at Southampton High School, she spent a Rotary Exchange student year abroad in Belgium, where she learned French. Between high school and college, she spent time with her parents in Vienna, where she learned German. She was thrilled when her family moved to London for her husband’s work from 2001 to 2003, as this afforded her more opportunities to travel, use her foreign language skills, and to even re-connect with her host family in Belgium.

She cherished time with her extended family, including annual summer vacations back home to Southampton and the water, and to the Viise family farm in northeast Iowa.

She was the outgoing and fun Aunt Laura to a multitude of nieces and nephews. She was employed at Dominican University as a clinical rotation coordinator for the physician assistance program when she became ill.

The world was a brighter place with her in it, her family said.

She is survived by her husband John; her sons, Gus, Lars, Darrell, and Hans; her father and mother, Howard and Ann; and her brothers Douglas (Laurie) and James (Jessica).

Donations in her memory can be made to the Northwestern Lou and Jan Memorial Brain Tumor Institute (feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/brain-tumor/donate/index) or to the renovation of the Tupper Boathouse into a non-profit community North Sea Maritime Center (northseamaritimecenter.org/donate). The existing boathouse is located next to her beloved family home in Southampton.