Obituary of Isabella Elizabeth Bohland

Isabella Elizabeth Bohland, age 14, of Roanoke, VA and Winston-Salem, NC passed away suddenly on December 2, 2021 as a result of a sudden onset heart infection. She is survived by her mother Cindy, her father Jon, her stepmother Leann, her stepsiblings Clemmie and Solly, her maternal grandmother Carol, her step-grandmother Susan, her aunt Laura, her paternal grandparents Sally and Jim, and her aunt Sharon and uncle Jay.

Thanks to a series of wonderful and random events, Cindy and Jon were matched with Isabella’s birthmother, Eva, in the summer of 2007. She was born on August 27 of that year in Roanoke, VA. As a young girl, Isabella loved flowy, twirly dresses; running down the street in high heels with her friend Ella; watching copious amounts of children’s television with her dad; playing with Barbie’s and action figures with her mom, Grammy, and Auntie Laura; swinging at the playground; eating mac n’ cheese (she never gave that up); swimming; and reading books at night. Even as a young child, Isabella was very clear on her dislikes which included naps and organized sports. As she grew older, Isabella attended school at North Cross School, Fishburn Park Elementary, and Woodrow Wilson Middle School. As a teen, Isabella ditched the flowy dresses for leggings, shorts, comfy hoodies, fuzzy socks, and Nike Air sneakers. She met her best friend, Meghan, on her block and they attended Woodrow Wilson together.

Isabella’s most constant companions were her phone and her headphones. She enjoyed listening to music and watching videos created by others. She became an adept video editor in her own right, sharing her “edits” across the world. She was an active social media participant and her phone made “binging and bonging” sounds constantly due to the volume of messages she received from her online friends.

Although Isabella’s day-to-day life took place in Virginia and North Carolina, her eyes were set on exploring the larger world. She liked going to new places including beach trips and to Los Angeles with her mom, trips to the mountains with her grandparents, and even a trip to Germany with her dad, stepmom, and stepsiblings. Roller coasters were also favorites, especially terrifying and fast ones at Busch Gardens and in Germany. She loved being in the car and spent a great deal of time riding with her parents between her two homes on Rte. 220 between Roanoke and Winston. She rarely complained about these constant journeys and used the time to watch videos, listen to music, and occasionally catch up on her sleep.

Like so many of us, Isabella struggled with anxiety and depression, but she was strong and determined and was becoming comfortable in her own skin in the last year of her life. In September of 2021, Isabella and her family decided that homeschooling was the best option for her. She was studying biology with her mother, math with her Grammy, social studies and English with her dad, and general cultural enrichment with her Nana and Papa. She became deeply interested in Korean film, television, and music and was teaching herself Korean using online apps. She had a small black journal where she practiced her Korean letters and wrote down her thoughts for the day. She became an evangelist for K-pop and all who loved her know infinitely more about Korean bands than we ever thought we would. She also loved horror films, Grey’s Anatomy, Outer Banks, and the Walking Dead . Watching television was a full body experience with Isabella because she was not afraid to talk (or yell) at the characters on the show or to get up and walk around the room in excitement. Her love for popular culture was infectious and her family fully expected that one day her future would be in film making or editing.

As anyone who spent any time with her can attest, Isabella’s laugh was loud, distinctive, joyous, and infectious. She had a wicked sense of humor for someone so young and could carry on easy conversation with people much older than her. Her father told her many times that she wasan “old soul” at heart. She loved her step siblings, Clemmie and Solly and the three of them cooked up some ridiculous hijinks together, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when outlets for silliness were in short supply. Isabella loved animals, especially cats. She named the three cats that lived with her mom and even made her dog-person stepmom into a cat convert.

Isabella’s kindness, graciousness, and wit made her the light and glue in our blended families. She was loved fiercely and unconditionally and will be forever. Her loss leaves a gap in our hearts that cannot ever be replaced. We are left with wonderful memories and thoughts of her laugh, her smile, and her boundless caring for others. A private family memorial will be held next week. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to Barn Cat Buddies or The Hispanic Federation.