Isabelle Phillips

Isabelle Maria Auriema Phillips, a long-time resident of Fort Smith, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, March 26. She was 92 years old and was residing at Butterfield Place. She was a member of The Wednesday Club and for many years worked as a Hospice volunteer at Mercy Hospice. In more recent years, she gave her time as a translator at the Good Samaritan Clinic and knitted children’s sweaters for Knit for Kids, World Vision. She was an active member of Immaculate Conception Church. Isabelle came to Fort Smith via a long and circuitous route. She was born in Volos, Greece on August 6, 1921. Her father, Adolph (“Ad”) Auriema, was raised in Greece where his father was an Italian consul. After fighting with the Italian army in World War I, Ad was studying in Paris at L’Ecole des Affaires, where he met Isabelle’s mother, Maria de la Torre, a Cuban, who was studying the piano at the Paris Conservatory of Music. The couple immigrated to the United States in the early 1920’s and settled in Staten Island, New York. Isabelle graduated high school from Dongan Hall, (later Staten Island Academy), but also spent time at a Swiss boarding school, Les Charmilles in Chateau d’Oeux where she learned French in addition to the Spanish that she acquired from her mother. She then attended Wellesley College outside of Boston, Massachusetts where she met her husband Barnet Phillips III. Barnet, who had a chemical engineering degree from Yale, was then a lieutenant (j.g.) in the Navy studying mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The couple were married on February 13, 1943 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York by the Reverend T. Lawrason Riggs, the chaplain at St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel at Yale. Barnet served during the War in the Pacific Ocean as the officer in charge of the airplane mechanics on the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Shamrock Bay with Isabelle following him around with their first born daughter, Isabelle (“Dede”) to many ports on the East and West Coast. After the War, the couple settled in Staten Island, and Barnet joined his father-in-law and Isabelle’s brother, Robert Charles (“Carlos”) Auriema at Ad. Auriema, Inc., an export firm representing many US original equipment manufacturers worldwide. The couple had two more children, Barnet Phillips IV and Maria Julien Phillips and traveled the entire world extensively both on business and for pleasure. Isabelle’s language skills were extremely helpful on many long trips through Europe, South America and Asia. After Barnet’s retirement from Ad. Auriema, Inc. in 1973, the couple settled in Guadalajara, Mexico. In 1986, they moved to Fort Smith deciding to settle near their daughter, Maria, and son-in-law, Dr. Michael Muylaert who then had taken up practice in town. Barnet passed away in 2004. Isabelle is survived by her brother, Carlos Auriema and his wife Carol Jean of Juno Beach, FL, her three children, Isabelle O’Donnell and husband James of Millsboro, DE, Barnet Phillips IV and wife Sharon of Greenwich, CT and Maria Muylaert and husband Dr. Michel Muylaert of Fort Smith, AR. Isabelle had seven grandchildren, James O’Donnell Jr., Maria O’Donnell – Hutt, Michael O’Donnell, Dr. Stephanie Muylaert – McMenamy, Isabelle Morgan, Victoria Phillips, Caroline Phillips and five great grandchildren. There will be a rosary and visitation on Sunday, March 30 at 7:00 PM at Edwards Funeral Home. A Catholic mass of Christian burial will be held Monday, March 31 at 10:30 AM at Immaculate Conception Church with burial at the Fort Smith National Cemetery at 12:00 noon. The IC Ladies Auxiliary will serve lunch at St. Anne’s Hall following the burial. Services are under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be sent to Mercy Hospice, Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith, 7301 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith AR, 72903. To sign an online guestbook, visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com