Thomas P. Isaac

P. T. Isaac, the fifth in a family of six children, was born at home in Vadavathoor(Kottayam District), India on July 15, 1928 to Sara Kollakombil and P. V. Thomas. His elementary education was at Christian Missionary School, Vadavathoor, after which he transferred to Kotarakkara High School and eventually completed high school education at Lowry Memorial High School, Bangalore. He would go on the obtain his Registered Nurse degree at Giffard Memorial Hospital in Nuzvid.

He married Ruth Joseph in Nuzvid on November 26, 1952. They served in Adventist hospitals or operated dispensaries in Nuzvid, Olasha, Pune, Shimla, Nilgiris, Pondicherry and Jalandhar for over 25 years before emigrating to the United States in 1997. A pharmacy certificate from Christian Medical College, Vellore provided him the training and skills that allowed him to spend most of his time in the pharmacy while serving in India. His children Moni, Molly and Mohan were born in Nuzvid, Pune and Nilgiris respectively. On arriving in Loma Linda he began work as an orderly while studying for his RN exams. After successfully passing his tests, he worked as a registered nurse on unit 6300 at Loma Linda University Medical Center, until his retirement. P. T. Isaac loved to study the bible, preach and teach sabbath school and sing Malayalam songs. Other passions included photography, gardening and site seeing. He loved badminton and introduced the game to his family while in Shimla.

His wife’s death and aging gradually took a toll on his body. He became prone to fall and had two falls in the last two years that required hospitalization. The first gave him a right femoral head fracture that resulted in a lengthy stay at Heritage Gardens. The second fall further restricted his mobility due to a fracture in his right humerus. His physical and mental health continued to deteriorate following his falls until he was taken to LLUMC on May 19, 2021 for shortness of breath. His organ systems began to quickly give up and a decision for hospice care was made by the attending physicians and the family. He was transferred to Terracina Post Acute in Redlands and subsequently passed away on June 15, 2021, a day after being anointed and one month short of his 93rd birthday. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years and four older siblings. He leaves behind Kunjamma, his younger sister in India, children Moni Thomas Isaac, Premila(Molly) Mesipam and George Mohan Isaac and their families and many nephews and nieces in the US and India.