Tana Knieriem, 43, of Caldwell, Idaho, passed away April 14, with her family by her side.

She was born to Rick Knieriem and Eileen “Shorty” Tashoff April 13, 1976, in Bend. Tana graduated from Burns Union High School in 1994, and received an AS in medical/dental office in 2000.

Tana’s biggest joy came from being with her family and friends. She was incredibly proud of her daughters and wanted nothing more than to watch them grow up into amazing young women. Tana was a strong-willed, warm, and caring mother, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, and friend who always saw the best in everyone. In the short time that she had, she left us with so many beautiful memories and funny stories that forgetting her would be impossible. She shared a passion for riding motorcycles with her dad, family time with her mom, barbeques and board games with friends, but, most of all, she imparted the knowledge of good bass-thumping music in a great car to her girls.

She worked in corporate payroll, but always had a passion to return to school to become a dental hygienist. One of the last things she did was holler at her family and take the toothbrush so she could brush her teeth better herself. That was our Tana Banana. She never backed down from a challenge and would do anything she could to help everyone in her life. Throughout her fight with cancer, her motto was, “Fight Like A Girl,” but after seeing how she fought and for so long, the motto really should be, “Fight Like Tana.”

Tana is survived by two loving daughters, Jadyn Baker and Jaycee Knieriem, of Caldwell. She is also survived by her parents, sisters, and enough family and friends to populate a small town.

The celebration of life to honor Tana will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the Holiday Inn Banquet Room, located at 16245 N. Merchant Way in Nampa, Idaho.

Rather than sending flowers, the family asks that you donate to breast cancer awareness or take the money and spend some extra time with your family doing something fun.