Mamie English Cisneros

Mamie Gayle English Cisneros, March 30, 1979 to September 29, 2021.

Mamie was unforgettable!  She filled any room she was in.  She had flair, she had style, she had courage and passion.  The Mamie who we will remember was beautiful inside and out; she was light and laughter.  She was a devoted friend, generous and kind.  She loved her children fiercely.  Her children, family and friends loved her, too and will miss her for the rest of our lives.

Mamie was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and graduated high school in 1997.  She didn’t particularly enjoy school, at least not the academic part, and upon graduation was ready and anxious to start living her ‘real’ life.  She and a friend decided joining the military would give them the independence they sought, so she joined the Navy.  Mamie achieved the rank of Petty Officer First Class as a Hospital Corpsman and retired in 2016.  Throughout her Navy years, her home base was the San Diego area, but she deployed to Kenya and Iraq, and served on the hospital ship Mercy in the South Pacific Islands, and on the USS Carl Vinson in the Gulf.  As a mother of young children, her deployments were particularly difficult for her and her family.

As Mamie’s time in the military went on, the stress of service built up.  Periods of trauma and events associated with combat led to a diagnosis of PTSD and depression which then became a continued struggle.  But Mamie loved her family, loved life and struggled to achieve wellness.  She didn’t want to leave us.

Following Mamie’s retirement from the Navy she enjoyed time with her family and completed training in alternative medicine.  She had a gift for friendship.  When she met someone, they became her friend.  She was accepting, loving, and loyal.  Mamie had a deep faith in God and drew strength and guidance from her relationship with Him.  She was artistic, skilled at decorating, and knew how to put on make-up while driving a car.

Mamie was preceded in death by her grandparents Dale and Elsie English, grandfather Virgil McAnally and her brother, Matthew English.  She is survived by her children, Charlie Paredes, Elsie, Gus and Rocky Cisneros, ex-husband Manuel Cisneros, her parents Dan and Cory English, sister Hannah Bernhard, brother Joel English, other extended family and numerous close friends, especially Andy and Melanie Paredes.

Just prior to her death Mamie shared some of what she learned in her years of treatment.  She said we should all know that we are all made in the light of God.  We must remember that we are ‘enough.’  We should show compassion to one another and that perhaps this will make the world a more peaceful place.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service is planned for 1:00 pm, November 6, 2021 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Post Falls.

Memorial donations are requested to Pawsitivity Service Dogs - https://www.pawsitivityservicedogs.com/mamie