It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Ilse Lenschow. Ilse passed away peacefully on September 17, 2025 in Laguna Beach, California. She was 84.

Ilse was born in Vienna, Austria on June 27, 1941 to Franz and Rosa Hanak.  In 1965 her adventurous spirit and drive for success drew her to New York City and eventually to California where she met her future husband, Juergen Lenschow. They married in 1968 and raised two children, Marion and Tanya. Ilse found her calling as a Realtor which would be her career for decades and for which she received numerous accolades. In 1975 the family moved to Laguna Beach where she resided for the remainder of her life. She eventually retired from Real Estate and embarked on a new journey of volunteering for the City of Laguna Beach first as member and president of LANO and then the Design Review Board where she served first as a board member and then as president.  To use her own words, the initial reason for her desire to be appointed to the board was that "I wanted to help people build their dream house without creating a nightmare for their neighbors", a goal to which significant progress was made.  City members, colleagues and friends threw her a fabulous, well attended retirement party when she stepped down in 2013 where she received a proclamation from the Mayor honoring her 16 years on the board and her many contributions to the city.In addition to serving her community she had a love of animals and a special connection with dogs. This led her to rescue and rehabilitate 3 former racing greyhounds (among many others) which were all deemed exceptionally traumatized and hopeless. She was able to gain their trust and love which allowed them to live the happy dog lives no one thought they were capable of. This was such an amazing gift.

Ilse is preceded in death by her husband, Juergen Lenschow (1983). She is survived by her sister Helene Denzin; daughters Marion Griesmaier (Siggi) and Tanya Nobel (Timothy), grandsons Collin and Grant;  her niece Petra and nephew Michi.

She will be remembered for her years of contribution to the city of Laguna Beach, as the loving and hard-working "DIY" mom who always lived life on her own terms, loved to talk politics and spend time with her family, and as the beloved Omi who adored and doted on her 2 grandsons. She will be missed dearly by us all.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Ilse's name to either the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter at https://puplagunabeach.org/make-a-donation-php/ or a Greyhound rescue of your choice.

The details of her celebration of life event will be announced at a later date.