Joyce Isaacs Obituary

Isaacs, Joyce

Joyce R. Isaacs, (nee Wexler), 94 years old, died gently on June 7, 2021. Hers was a life dedicated to others. She was devoted to those in need.

She was a mentor to those with problems, especially the young. She was "Mom" to the grown children of late friends. Anyone she was with felt like the most important person in the world.

Her service to the community included 30 years of volunteer work with the Auxiliary of Highland Park Hospital.

Her social justice activism started early as a high school student marching for civil rights in the tumultuous South.

Joyce attended Francis W. Parker School. During summers she was a camper and later a counselor at Cheley Colorado Camps where she won every prize in horseback riding, a skill she maintained well into her adult years.

She attended Carleton College and was a graduate of Northwestern University School of Education. She taught in Chicago and North Shore schools. Always interested in working with children and their parents, she later established, directed, and taught at Temple Sinai nursery school on Chicago's South Side.

Joyce contributed to her husband's life work with valuable suggestions and edits of his writings.

When she contracted a serious illness, she astounded her doctors by engaging in a rigorous regimen of exercise, defying the progression of the illness. Multiple doctors exclaimed, "You are an anomaly!"

There was no pretentiousness about her; she was unafraid to speak her mind. Joyce was intelligent, warm, witty, strong, tenacious, driven, and totally independent. She turned heads when she entered a room with her fashion sense and trademark red lipstick. She and her husband Roger D. Isaacs were inseparable for 72 years. Their marriage was a true inspiration.

She is survived by her husband and her daughters Gillian Isaacs Russell (Dr. Richard) and Jan Isaacs Henry (John). She was grandmother of Adam Isaacs Hemmings (Alicia Graf), Nina Isaacs Hemmings, Meredith Isaacs Henry (Chris Knoepke), Ian Isaacs Henry (Gina Apruzzese) and proud "Grandma-Great" of Julian Henry Knoepke. She was predeceased by her brothers, Haskell Wexler (Rita), Jerrold Wexler (Susan), and Yale Wexler (Linda, deceased). She was aunt to many loving nieces and nephews. Private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Kidpower of Colorado, 10 Boulder Crescent, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 or online at www.kidpowerCS.org.

For any additional information, please contact Chicago Jewish Funerals-Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.

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