Isabel Jean (Stowell) Hunter

Isabel Jean Hunter of Lynnwood, Washington passed away on October 5, 2022. Isabel was born to Thomas and Lulu Stowell on November 14, 1930 in Dundee, Canada. Isabel was the youngest of Tom and Lulu’s children. Isabel was the last living member of her siblings as her sister, Gladys, and her brothers Guy, Wilbur and Carl predeceased her. She spent her childhood years growing up on her parents’ dairy farm where everyone worked hard and were close. Isabel was particularly close with her brother, Wilbur, and her first cousins Lucy and Alexis. As a young adult, Isabel went off to further her education in college and would travel abroad with friends and her cousin, Lucy.

Isabel met Donald Hunter in Vancouver BC while at the beach. They dated a short time before they were married. Isabel and Don shortly thereafter moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana where Isabel’s husband went to college to become an engineer. Upon Don’s graduation in June of 1961, Isabel and Don then moved to Montreal, Canada where a month later their first daughter, Donna, was born. In early 1963 Don and Isabel then moved to Long Beach, California where their youngest daughter, Lisa, was born. The family lived up and down the west coast of Southern California until they moved to Granada Hills, California in 1966 where they resided until 1988.

During her years living in Granada Hills, Isabel had a full and active life with friends and family. Her love of the outdoors, walking, bicycling, hiking, camping and traveling to different countries continued throughout the years, and you never knew what adventures Isabel would come back to talk about. One of Isabel’s consistent favorite hikes she did almost every Wednesday and Friday evening was to hike the Mario de Campos O’Melvany trail. The Sierra club group would hike to the top where there is a 270-degree view of the city and nearby hills. She would often be accompanied by her daughter, Lisa, and her good hiking friends, Mario de Campos, Keith and Melissa and many others.

When Isabel and Don separated, Isabel moved to Sylmar, California where she continued to live until she moved to Washington State in 1997. Prior to Isabel moving to Washington, Isabel stayed active with the Sierra club, her walking groups, and her many different cycling groups. Just one such adventures was when she and her best friends, Jean and Pat along with Paul did a 60 mile walk from Redondo Beach to San Diego. They returned by train back to the Los Angeles area to mark Paul’s 60th birthday; just because it was fun. Isabel repeated the incredible trip for her 60th birthday with Jean and Pat.

Isabel never failed to make the trek back home to see her brothers and sister in Canada and has stayed close to her cousin, Lucy, in which they share so many memories from childhood into young adulthood. When Donna and Lisa were young, Isabel would travel with her two children back to visit with her mother and father at the farm. As her children grew older, she would take one or the other with her, and then in later years she took her oldest grandchild, Kirsten, up to the farm to see her brother Will and his family. Isabel always emphasized how important family and maintaining family connections were to her, a trait she passed onto her own children.

Another love of Isabel’s was to ride her bicycle. She joined the Los Angeles Wheelman’s Bicycle Club and often would spend weekends all over the state of California riding with her friends. One of the rides she enjoyed participating in was called the Triple Dipper Bay Ride where she would ride 30 to 50 miles each day. The accomplishment of learning to ride a bike in her late 40s and lasting until she was well into her late 60s was yet another sign of Isabel’s sheer love of being outdoors riding with friends who shared the same passion and love of the sport as she did.

After working at First Interstate (née UCB) since 1974, Isabel retired where she and her good friend, Bonnie, retired October 31, 1994. Isabel then began to enjoy her retirement by traveling somewhere new and/or participating in more strenuous hikes through the Sierra Club. She also began to travel to see her daughter, Lisa, who had moved to Washington State and spent more time with Lisa and her family.

When Isabel’s first granddaughter, Kirsten, was born in 1988, Isabel would often keep Kirsten overnight at her home where they would go swimming, watch cooking shows and go for walks. As Kirsten grew, Isabel would take her on her travels to places like Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm where they would enjoy a Mrs. Knott’s chicken dinner with Isabel’s good friend, Jean.

Isabel’s only grandson, Tyler, was born in 1990. Following his birth, Isabel took time off work to help her daughter, Lisa, with the baby and Kirsten. Lisa and her family moved when Tyler was two, but for those first couple years, Isabel would often go to Lisa’s home to help entertain her grandchildren. Isabel had the stamina to play long and hard enough with Tyler, he would eventually fall asleep on her as she would lay on the floor playing.

Isabel’s youngest grandchild, Sarah, was born in 1996, and by 1997 Isabel decided to move to Washington State to be closer to both her daughters who were now living in Washington. Isabel packed her belongings and drove alone up to Washington where she moved to Seattle and began to help her daughter, Donna, with Sarah. Isabel then lived in the same complex as Donna and Sarah for the next 25 years until Isabel’s health began to fail in July of 2022. During that time Isabel spent her time helping and caring for Sarah, traveling with her daughter, Lisa, and her family near and far and she would never fail to make at least one trip back each year to see her family in Canada.

Isabel’s great grandson, Jaedyn, was born in 2008 and was followed by her great granddaughter, Evelyn, in 2011. Through the years she doted on her great grandchildren, accompanying them on many family trips and vacations.

Isabel kept her family close to her all through her life. She was loved by so many people from all walks of life, maintaining those close relationships she had forged with so many for decades. Her wicked sense of humor, her dedication to family and friends, and her strong work ethic provided Isabel with a strong sense of self and purpose, and she will be dearly missed by so many.

She is survived by her daughters, Donna Hunter, and Lisa Yob, her grandchildren, Kirsten Lind and Tyler Yob, and her great grandchildren, Jaedyn Lind and Evelyn Lind, and pre-decreased by her youngest granddaughter, Sarah Hunter.