David Roy Isom

A life-long resident of Belleville, Dave was the owner and operator of Isom’s Import Service, Ltd., for almost 50 years. In the 1960’s he saw Air Force Servicemen returning from overseas with foreign cars and it was difficult to find someone to repair them at a time when there were no dealers and few garages had metric tools. Dave seized the opportunity and opened his own shop specializing in foreign cars. Early on, Dave was proud to have been part of a team assembled by Volkswagen Corporation to set up new dealerships in Missouri and Arkansas, and was President of the Illinois Independent Garage Owners Association, which lobbied for its members in Springfield. Dave was an enthusiast of boating, especially sailing and was also a private pilot. He once owned his own plane, a Stinson, and always carried a photo of it in his wallet.

Dave grew up taking cars apart and putting them back together before he was old enough to drive, and was blessed with creative ability for building race cars, hot rods, and even dune buggies; which his kids loved to race around in. Dave was an early member of the Belleville Gear-Jammers, and was part of their team that built a drag race car out of a Crosley station wagon, that won first place in its class at the NHRA nationals in 1956. His true passion was hot rods and car racing, especially drag racing. His last hot rod was a 1947 Hudson with a big block Chrysler engine. He was an avid drag racer, taking his orange-red Plymouth Belvedere all over the northern Midwest, calling Gateway Motor Sports Park, his home track. He was a member of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), National Muscle Car Association (NMCA), and Victory Performance Nostalgia Super Stock Series (NSS). He sorely missed his racing buddies after a devastating stroke in 2014. He was an amazing man with a zest for life, who will truly be missed by all who knew him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Maude, nee Campbell, Isom.

Surviving are his wife, Claire Burlew Gibson Isom; his children, Laura (Alan) Krenzer, of Osage Beach, Missouri, Craig Isom, of Belleville, Illinois, Paige Isom, of St. Louis, Missouri, and David C. (Kay) Isom, of Belleville, Illinois; his grandchildren, Ben (Amy) Schulte, Derek Schulte, Olivia Isom, Jackie Isom, Madilon (Alec) Steiner, Isabelle Isom, and August Isom Jenks; by his great grandsons, David, Daniel, and Brody Schulte; his step-children, Nancy J. Gibson and Susan C. Gibson; a step-grandson, Joe Schinner; his brother, Gilbert (Isabelle) Stapf; his dear aunt, Agnes Grafton, a special cousin, Roger (Loretta) Campbell; his beloved dog and companion, Marco; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Memorials are appreciated to the Belleville Area Humane Society. Condolences may also be expressed online at www.lakeviewfuneralhm.com.

Visitation: Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2016 at Lake View Funeral Home, Fairview Heights, Illinois.

Funeral: Services will be held at 1 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2016 at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Lake View Memorial Gardens, Fairview Heights, Illinois.