Isobel Thode

Isobel Thode, a resident of Good Samaritan Las Cruces Village, passed away at 3 p.m. December 19, at Memorial Medical Center. Isobel was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 12, 1921 to Lena (Ferris) Zoeller and John Alois Zoeller. She spent her school years at the family home in Little Suamico, WI. She graduated from Oconto Falls High School in Wisconsin in 1938. There being no means of employment available to her there, she took a position as a mother's helper with her aunt and uncle, Mary and Howard Manningham in White Bear Lake, MN, Oak Park, IL, Chevy Chase, MD, and finally, West Medford, MA. In West Medford, Isobel attended commercial courses at night school. Upon completion she went to work for a general agency of Pennsylvania Fire Insurance in Boston, where she continued for 5 years. She met her future husband, Edward F. Thode, in November of 1942. They became engaged in August of the following year and they married on May 27, 1944 in West Medford. In June 1947, her husband accepted a faculty appointment at the University of Maine, Orono. While there, the first two of their three children were born, Karen Elizabeth and Stephen Frederick. Subsequently they moved to St. Paul, MN, where their third child, Jonathan Edward, was born. They also lived in Appleton, WI for several years before moving to Las Cruces in 1963. Isobel was predeceased by a sister, Gloria Gorham, of Orono, ME, and her parents. Survivors include a brother, John Zoeller, of Niagara, WI, and a sister, Gertrude Schillinger, of Minocqua, WI, her husband of 63 years, Edward F. Thode, three children, Karen Elizabeth O'Neil and her husband Paul of Leyden, MA, Dr. Stephen Frederick Thode and his wife, Julie, of Bethlehem, PA, and Jonathan Edward Thode of Tooele, UT and Las Cruces. Four grandchildren: Captain Kirstin Isobel Thode, M.D., USAF of San Antonio; TX, Megan Elizabeth Thode and William Edward Thode, both of Bethlehem, PA; and, Kathleen Claire O'Neil, of Leyden, MA. Isobel devoted her life to her family and will be remembered by both those who knew her well and those she encountered more casually as a kind and selfless woman. Her focus was genuinely on the needs and desires of those around her. Outside the home, her principal interests included: reading, good music, nature, and community affairs. She loved New Mexico, especially the Santa Fe-Los Alamos area. She attended the Santa Fe Opera for 25 years and was a member of the Tri-State Opera Guild. She enjoyed visiting Bosque del Apache NWR and for many years was a member of the Friends of the Bosque. Isobel served as both an election judge and presiding judge in various Las Cruces precincts where she resided over the years. Additionally she combined her abiding interest in young children with service to her church as she gave her time to the teaching and care of young children at St. Andrew's and St. James Churches. A memorial service for Isobel will be held at St. James Episcopal Church at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 28, 2007. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Good Samaritan Employees' Christmas Fund. PDF Printable Version