Allison Margaret Isaak

Her husband of 32 years, Steve Isaak, was at her side. She had been in ill health for several years.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Mark Nelson of Victoria, her daughter Laura Bradley and granddaughters Grace and Mila Bradley of Mount Shasta, California, and three sisters, Donna Clark, Beverly Dallison, and Cheryl Cooke.

Allison was born April 12, 1944 in Montreal. She grew up in eastern Canada, lived in England in her early 20s, then moved to Vancouver where she settled down, married, and had two children. When the marriage ended, she and the children moved to Arizona, where she was Assistant Vice President with Valley National Mortgage, running a highly successful branch of the company In Flagstaff.

During her time in Arizona, Allison enjoyed camping and exploring the forests and deserts of the Southwest. She was particularly fond of white water rafting and touring the Grand Canyon with family and friends. Some of her most treasured memories were from that time.

In Arizona, she met and married her life’s partner, Steve. They moved to Denman Island in 1994. Steve’s job as a long-distance trucker took him away often, and Allison found work as a skilled mortgage loan officer in Bellingham. Two or three times a month, she put their dogs and cat in her car and commuted between her place in Bellingham and their Denman home to meet Steve there when his driving schedule allowed. in 2002 they both moved full time to Denman and started their own business, Forgotten Island Industries, Ltd.

Allison served on the board of the Hornby-Denman Health Care Society and was an active member of the Denman Island Marine Stewardship. She loved the island and its nature. She was especially fond of planting daffodils, something she began when she was five years old. Daffodils range over great swaths of their Denman garden. Foxgloves were welcome in her garden wherever they wanted to be. She loved the scent of hyacinths. She loved her fruit trees, especially the Italian prune plum. Her garden was a joy.

Grace and Mila, her granddaughters, were the light of her life. Lots of photos of the grandchildren decorated her home.

A celebration of her life will be held at her home on Denman on July 7, 2018. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Hornby Denman Home Health Care Society, which made it possible for her to remain at home through her illness.

Allison requested the following verse to be added to her obituary:

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow;

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the gentle autumn's rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there; I did not die.