Isabelle Northrop, 90

Isabelle Angela Northrop, 90, of Mountain Home, died Saturday, May 1, 2005, at the Elmore Long Term Care Unit, after a battle with lung cancer.

Visitation and rosary were held Tuesday. Funeral mass will be celebrated today, Wednesday, May 4, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, Mountain Home.

Isabelle was born Aug. 27, 1914 in Preston, Nev., to William and Margaret (Lani) Heller. Isabelle was raised in Ely and Duck Water, Nev., before moving to Idaho in 1944. (Isabelle known to her family and friends as Belle). She cooked for ranch hands at the 3C Ranch in Ely, Nev., and owned and operated a café in Richfield, Idaho. After moving to Mountain Home she worked in the Mountain Home Air Force Base laundry facility, worked in the MERC bakery, and was an active AVON representative for 36 years, retiring at the age of 89.

She had many accomplishments and awards during her life, including the Albi Dolls, beginning with the first one to be issued. She also was a member of the AVON president's club.

She also "enjoyed serving her special ravioli's and fried chicken, recipes that no one else in the family could master," her family said.

"Belle was a loving and caring woman to her friends and family, placing the needs of everyone else above her own," her family added. "It was thought by many that no one could hold a candle to her. She committed to her faith and was inspiration to everyone around her. She never complained about herself or her needs. Her favorite saying was 'you have to do what you have to do.'

"Aside from cooking, she had a passion for gardening. No matter whose house she would enter, she would make sure the plants were well taken care of. She loved her many flower gardens, surrounding herself with many beautiful flowers and plants," her family said.

She is survived by: sons Conrad (Helen) Morley of Arlington, Wash., and Dwain (Maxine) Stirton of Richfield, Idaho; a daughter, Margaret (Melvin) Swenson of Mountain Home; son-in-law Carl Robinson of Richfield; stepson Don Northrop of Arco, Idaho; 12 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Isabelle was proceeded in death by: husbands Isaac Morley, George Stirton, and Lyle Northrop; two brothers, Stump Halstead and Lou Heller; two sisters, Grace Whitesell and Bessie Halstead, and a daughter, Carol (Morley) Robinson.

Memorial contributions can be made to: Elmore Long Term Care Unit, 895 N. 6th East St., Mountain Home, ID 83647, or a charity of choice.