Isla Stuart Simmons Bell

Isla was born on October 9, 2000 in Annapolis, Maryland to her parents, the artists Tim Beall and Leah Bell. The family moved to the Mayo area of Edgewater in 2003 and Isla spent her childhood there. She attended church at Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church in Annapolis and attended the Preschool for the Arts at St. Anne’s. She then attended Mayo Elementary where she excelled aca-demically and athletically. She received a Presidential Award for fitness. Isla was a student at Cen-tral Middle School and graduated from South River High School in 2019. She had attended St. Michaels High School as well.

Growing up she loved animals, playing outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. Isla enjoyed playing soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She was a Brownie and completed her bridging ceremony. With her family she traveled extensively and lived for short periods in Scotland, France, Italy, Maine, and Cape Cod. A gifted artist with natural talent, Isla liked to draw and create art with gathered materials such as pebbles, grass, leaves, flowers, and other items from nature.

Isla was passionate about the culinary arts and was working in food service; her pancakes and quesadillas will be especially missed by her mother. Isla’s love of animals and spending time with her friends and family was continuous and as she grew older she enjoyed art, music, makeup, and eating out — especially sushi. She was most recently residing in St. Michaels, Maryland, with her mother, who was her best friend. Isla had dreams of becoming a tattoo artist or pursuing a medical career in behavioral health.

Loved by everybody she met, Isla was a vibrant character who stood out in a crowd. Her smiles and laughter were infectious and endearing and will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She was a kind, compassionate, and empathetic person who enjoyed helping people as she was particu-larly sensitive to the pain of others.

Isla leaves behind her mother, Leah Torney Bell, father Tim Beall, and older brother Duncan. She is survived by her grandparents: Wayne and Nancy Beall of West River, Maryland; Albert and Nancy Torney of Annapolis, Maryland; and Judy George Thompson of Ft. Myers, Florida. Isla is also survived by her aunts and uncles: Ted and Mary Rosenzweig of Anchorage, Alaska; Richard and Michele Skinner of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; Jeff and Susan Torney of Annapolis, Maryland; and Chris and Allison George of Cazenovia, New York. She also leaves behind eight cousins.

A celebration of life for our beloved Isla will be announced at a later date (due to the coronavirus). John M. Taylor Funeral Home in Annapolis is hosting an online registry and the family welcomes your memories of Isla. Please leave an email address via the Taylor website so we may contact you with the upcoming arrangements.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the nurses at Anne Arundel Medical Center and Hospice of the Chesapeake for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Mariah’s Mission/Mid-Shore Community Foundation at MSCF.org or:

Mid-Shore Community Foundation

c/o Mariah’s Mission

102 East Dover Street

Easton MD 21601