Joey Crume Isert

Joey was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1919. Her family later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, which they called home. After graduation she worked as a fashion illustrator for the local newspaper. She married Fred Isert, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals farm team. Fred was scheduled to join St. Louis Cardinals major league team the next season, but America joined in World War II and Fred was drafted into the Army Air Force. Joey’s daughter Barbara was born in Louisville while Fred was serving as a navigator based in North Africa and flying missions over Germany. His aircraft went down over Italy on one mission. One day Joey received a notice that Fred was missing in action. She knew in her heart that Fred was okay and months later learned that the Italian “under-ground” helped Fred get to Switzerland which remained “neutral” during the War and he was later repatriated back to America after the war. Fred returned to Louisville and to Joey and to see his daughter for the first time.

Fred remained in the Air Force and Joey, as a career serviceman’s wife, traveled with Fred to many airbase assignments. Washington DC, Shreveport, LA, Tampa, FL, Rapid City, SD, Merced, CA, Ramey Airbase, Puerto Rico, and Carswell Airbase, Fort Worth, TX. Joey loved their being based in Ramey Airbase, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico the best. She was active in the Officer’s Wife’s Club serving as president. As a member of the garden club, she won blue ribbons for her floral decorations. As a professional artist, she sold many paintings of Puerto Rico. The Airforce Club and Canteen at Crashboat Beach, Aguadilla, had seen her paintings of the Puerto Rican countryside and wanted Joey to do a series of paintings to decorate the club & canteen. They did not have a budget to pay her, so they paid Joey with free chicken dinners in the canteen. Her family remembers well the many trips to go swimming at Crashboat Beach and the delicious fried chicken dinners.

Joey was not only an artist, but also an actress and played in many plays such as The Moon is Blue, with a local guild. Once she had the pleasure of being the actor Walter Pidgeon’s date for an evening at the Officers Club. Fred was transferred from Puerto Rico to Carswell Airbase, Fort Worth, TX. Joey found it difficult to leave the lushness of Puerto Rico to move to Ft. Worth, Texas. She found it hard, but she continued to flourish, remaining active in the Officer’s Wives Club. She got her realtor’s license and then sold real estate, in Fort Worth, like her father had done in Louisville. Fred then retired from the Air Force in 1966 and the family moved to Hollywood, Florida. Fred became a Professor in the Aeronautics Dept, at Miami Dade College. Joey earned a degree in Interior Design from Miami Dade. Joey worked as an interior designer and continued her artwork, painting many elaborate murals as well as paintings. She volunteered at Miami Children’s Hospital and Hope School and painted many brightly colored murals for the children’s wards and rooms. A pediatric dentist saw her work and contracted her to do animal wall murals in his dentistry, to help the children relax on their visit to the dentist! Another dentist had her do Mad magazine characters with the dentists’ faces at his practice. A master seamstress, Joey also took French cooking classes and was an excellent cook who knew how to throw a good party. Joey was always outgoing and fun loving and active in organizing activities and get togethers. She and Fred had many beloved friends and traveled around the USA, to Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Central & South America.

Joey was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph & Mary Troy Crume and her brother John Crume. She is survived by her sister, Suzy Glikes and her daughter, Barbara Hunnicutt Greenwell, her sons, Richard Isert, and Gregory Isert, as well as her grandchildren, Jeff Hunnicutt(her buddy in her last few years), Heather Hunnicutt Vaughn, Laura Hunnicutt, Than Isert, Tina Isert and Steve Isert.

Condolences can be expressed through Forest Lawn Funeral Home, Davey, FL and friends may make memorial contributions to the Fred J. Isert Scholarship at Seminole State College, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773.