01/24/21
Provided by Ann Yanecek

Brendia Heintzleman passed away on December 14, 2020 after battling with dementia.

Brendia was an interesting person- she put me under her wing for some reason to allow me to help her with the Priest Lake race after 2010. I will always be grateful for that opportunity.

Vince and Brendia were the heart and soul of the Inland Empire Sled Dog Association, along with people like Tom Palmer and the Malcolms, and filling their shoes has proven to be difficult. Many mushers with large kennels have given up the sport because of cost and political pressure. I believe Brendia understood this and was ready to hand over the reins to a new generation of mushers/dog-driven-sports enthusiasts. It is a new world in terms of dog-sports, and sprint classes, skijoring, bikejoring have replaced many of the local long distance races so familiar to folks like Vince and Brendia and Tom Palmer and Jim/Susie Malcolm. The sport of mushing is evolving rapidly, but believe me, dog-powered sports is growing not dying.

I am grateful to have been a part of the original IESDA, and I hope to continue contributing to the sport and to IESDA.