Isabel May McIntosh

Joseph and Carrie Plossl.

Upon the death of her mother she and her sister Eleanor were placed in the loving

care of their Aunt Barbara Teresa Ward and her husband John, of Willoughby,

Ohio.

When their father married Agnes Laura Mosher, they returned to Sidney Center,

New York, where her brother, Roger, was born to complete their family.

While living in Sidney Center, she attended the Sidney Center United Methodist Church where she sang in the choir and often played the piano for services.

She cherished and maintained several life-long friendships from her youth. To this day, they still tell the story of when Mom walked the railroad trestle bridge. She was a cheerleader and a member 4-H Club.

She met my father, Burt H. McIntosh, of Unadilla, New York, at a dance when she was 14. They dated through their school years.

Upon graduation, she attended Cornell University. In 1943, my parents met in New York City where they were wed. For their honeymoon, they attended a Yankees baseball game.

She returned to school, while Dad returned to active duty in the Army Air Corps.

Upon his return from WWII, they opened a grocery store in Unadilla, New York.

Three daughters were born in nearby Sidney, New York. Charlotte Amy Wickstrom, deceased; Barbara Jeanne Gould, deceased; and Richelle Ann Leap of the Valley.

During the Korean Conflict, as a World War II P-47 fighter pilot, Dad was recalled to active duty.

From there they lived in many places, including Ramstein and Hahn Germany.

Upon his Air Force retirement, they lived in several areas, including Texas, Illinois; New York City, Miami, Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Manassas, Virginia.

While in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mom received her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Humanities there too.

Her education and travels earned her the position of curator at the Philbook Art Museum in Tulsa. She specialized in Native American art and basketry. For many years she also taught basket weaving in schools and to other interested groups. She also cataloged numerous collections as a part of her responsibilities.

Upon retirement, the family returned to her beloved Arizona. She continued to teach; and, became a volunteer for the Heard Museum Library.

Mom was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix. A church the family first attended while Dad was stationed at Luke AFB. Her daughters, Charlotte and Barbara, were both married here in 1965.

During her nearly 70 year marriage, Mom continued to travel and enjoy life. From riding trolley cars in San Francisco, snorkeling in Jamaica, driving the Alcan Highway, enjoying winter activities in Germany and the Swiss Alps, camping throughout Europe, to climbing pyramids in the Yucatan Mom and hiking a volcano in Hawaii and Costa Rica, Mom loved and embraced life to the fullest.

She is survived by her husband, Burt, an Alzheimer’s patient, her daughter, Richelle and her husband Gene, her sister Eleanor, six granddaughters, ten great granddaughters, three great grandsons, one great great grandson and one great great granddaughter in addition to many beloved nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7th at Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary, 200 West Beardsley Road, Phoenix, Arizona.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, November 8th at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.

Those unable to attend are encouraged to sign her on-line Memory Book. Please visit www.phoenixmemorialmortuary.com .

Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery.

In honor of her memory; and, in lieu of flowers, donations are asked to be made to the charity of your choice, Hospice of Arizona, or the National MS Society.