Elsie Marie (Martin) Isbell

Elsie Marie (Martin) Isbell, 86, went home to be with the Lord on Friday morning, July 11, 2014, after an intensive nine-month battle with breast cancer.

She was a 7-year resident of Derry, NH, but she spent 46 years living and raising her family in Saugus, MA, and shared 66 years of marriage to her sweetheart and WWII Veteran James Branch Isbell, 87 years old, of Tucson, AZ, and Derry, NH.

Born on April 1, 1928, in Miami, AZ, the daughter of the late George W. and Dr. Ethel E. “Ruby” (Winkle) Martin, DC, Elsie grew up in Tucson, AZ, where she graduated from Tucson High School in 1946.

After graduation she furthered her studies by attending a local, privately owned business school, and also attended the University of Arizona, majoring in voice. Elsie was an accomplished and sought-after vocalist and soloist who cut her own record and was known for her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. An accomplished pianist as well, Elsie passed on her talent and love of music to her 5 children.  

After a short 6-month courtship, she married James Branch Isbell, on August 31, 1947, and then devoted herself, her life, and her talents to her husband and children.

A loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Elsie also had a talent for painting and drawing, and used those skills many times to make and contribute to costumes and scenery at programs her children took part in during their school years.  She was also a skilled professional seamstress, including making her daughter’s wedding gown, and highly skilled in embroidery and crochet. 

Elsie was known for making many of her own clothes, and carefully and lovingly spending many hours making many beautiful and intricate detailed gifts for family and friends over the years. There are few people she didn’t touch with her beautiful, professionally made gifts that are now left behind as loving memories of her. 

Along with loving James, Elsie had a deep love, devotion and faith in the Lord whom she accepted as her personal Savior at the age of 12, and she was an active and faithful member of several churches during her lifetime. Along with teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, playing the piano, singing in the choir, singing solos, caring for the missionary closet ministry, spending her summer taking her children to Bible camp and serving there in many capacities, writing cards and letters to shut-ins, and many other ministries she was involved in, she still had time to carpool her children to school, various music lessons and other activities they were involved in. 

Hosting missionaries at her home and helping others was a very important part of her life and character, and she seemed to have a sensitivity to know when to reach out to those who needed an extra special touch. She spent the last 7 years as a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church singing in the choir, and joyfully helping out at the Christian School doing whatever she could, including reading stories to the kindergartners. Her heart’s desire was to serve the Lord in any way she could. 

In addition to being predeceased by her parents, she was also predeceased by two granddaughters, Deena Donato and Lily Marian Isbell.

Besides her beloved husband, she is survived by her loving and devoted family, which includes her children and their spouses, Jacqueline and Laurence Jones, of Jackson, Miss., Georgiana Isbell, of Derry, Branch and Greta Isbell, of Spring, TX, Stephanie and Lawrence Tinsley, of Haverhill, MA, and Timothy and Margaret Isbell, of Derry, NH; her grandchildren, Donald Donato, Kaycee White, Chaynie Borum, Cody Isbell, Colette Osborne, Brendan Maxner, Malcolm Isbell and Jedidiah Isbell; and 9 great-grandchildren. 

Her beautiful smile, her sweet, quiet, peaceful, yet independent, strong and spunky spirit, her tender heart, and love and devotion to her family will be greatly missed and remembered. 

SERVICES: Visiting hours will be held at the DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock St., Nashua, on Sunday afternoon from 2-4 PM.  A funeral service in her honor will be held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church, 242 Derry Rd., Litchfield, NH, on Monday, July 14, 2014, at 11 AM. Graveside interment prayers and burial will be held at the NH Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH, on Tuesday morning at 10 AM, everyone is asked to gather at the cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Elsie Marie Isbell Scholarship Fund in care of Tabernacle Christian School, Litchfield, New Hampshire.

The DAVIS FUNERAL HOME, One Lock Street, Nashua has been placed in charge of arrangements, www.davisfuneralhomenh.com, (603-883-3401) “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”