Isabel Dewey
Isabel Taylor Dewey passed away on October 9, 2025. She lived a full, vibrant life. She loved her family, the people in her community, and her Lord.
She was born in 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Andrew and Juanita Taylor. She and her identical twin, Charlotte, were inseparable, all the way through college at DePauw University, from which they graduated in 1952, as proud members of Kappa Alpha Theta. Isabel moved to Denver and then to San Francisco.
Skiing one weekend at Sugar Bowl in the Sierras, she met Earle Thomas Dewey; they were married in 1958. As their love (and family) grew, so did their adventures hiking, skiing, camping, and traveling.
Tom’s work took them to Seattle, then Portland, back to the San Francisco Bay Area, and eventually across the country to McLean, Virginia, in 1973. In 1992, they retired to Stoney Creek in Nellysford, Virginia, and then moved to Summit Square in Waynesboro in 2015.
To Isabel, every day was an opportunity to learn. She had an insatiable curiosity, always asking questions. She loved words – words that rhymed, words in books, words in hymns, scripture, and prayers – a dictionary stayed within reach.
She also loved people. She was a long-time leader in Bible Study Fellowship, and after moving to Nellysford, was instrumental in forming an ecumenical group of neighborhood women seeking spiritual growth. She sewed, colored, and crafted, and won nearly every game of Chinese checkers that she played.
Her greatest professional pride came from working as a licensed tour guide in Washington, D.C.Busloads of school kids called her “mom” as she led them around the sights of the district.
Isabel joins Tom, her Taylor family, and many other others whom she held in her heart who passed before her. Surviving are her daughters, sons-in-law, granddaughters, and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to one of the following organizations that meant so much to Isabel: Almost Home Nelson SPCA (https://nelsonspca.org/give) Wintergreen Music Festival (https://wintergreenmusic.org/), or Summit Square Fellowship Fund (https://www.sunnyside.cc/donate-now/)
