Isabelle Swift Ferrell

      Isabelle Swift Ferrell, 92, passed away on August 6, 2023 with family by her side. Her life was filled with love, adventure, and the playful antics of family and friends. She is peacefully at rest, but the reunion with those who have passed before her might be causing quite a ruckus in Heaven.

      Isabelle (known as Izzy, or Iz) was born May 6, 1931, in Jacksonville, FL to Dr. Edwin Chester Swift and Frances Isabelle Boyd. A cradle Episcopalian, Isabelle first worshiped at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Jacksonville. She enjoyed many summers in North Carolina at Camp Burgess Glen or with her grandparents in Woodbine, Georgia. She graduated from R.E. Lee High school and went on to attend Duke University where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She graduated in 1953 with a BA in English.

      It was at Duke that she met the love of her life, Marshall Carr Ferrell, Jr. They married in 1953, moved to Tampa and raised three children. They were blessed with 63 wonderful years together before Marshall passed away in 2017.

      A devoted wife and mother, Isabelle was also dedicated to her community. She taught Great Books at Grady Elementary, was editor of the Junior League of Tampa's Sandspur Magazine and was named Junior League Sustainer of the Year. She also served as President of The Home Association. Isabelle continued her devotion to the Episcopal Church at St. Andrews in Tampa. She served multiple terms on the Vestry including as Senior Warden, was a member of the Altar Guild, Daughters of the King, and the Foundation.

      Izzy loved her books, cats, dogs, her North Carolina mountains, and friends on Big Ridge. She will be most remembered for her sharp wit, easy laugh and prolific and entertaining storytelling. She once wrote: “Paper is not stone and changes may occur in the telling from time to time - told again and again until they are right!”

      Isabelle is survived by her children, Leigh Metzger (Peter), Lynn Millinoff (Ian), and Marshall III (Anne), and beloved grandchildren, Jennifer, Stephen, Erin, Adam, Marshall IV and Addison.

      A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 509 East Twiggs St., Tampa. A reception will follow in the church’s Parish Hall. Interment will be later this fall at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, NC, where she will be laid to rest with Marshall.

      The family extends deep appreciation to the kind and caring staff at Diligence Home Care, Allegro Hyde Park, and LifePath Hospice's Garnet Team.

      In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Foundation (Tampa), or Church of the Good Shepherd, PO Box 32, Cashiers, NC 28717.