Isabelle Surcouf Manning Toms

Isabelle was born on September 28, 1933, in Huế, French Indochina (Vietnam), to Patrick Surcouf, a colonial administrator for the French government, and Yvonne Singer Surcouf, his adventurous and artistic wife. After her first three years in Huế, Isabelle and her younger brother, Yves, lived with their maternal grandparents in Monte Carlo until their parents returned to France a few year later. The family then settled in Paris, where they lived through World War II. In 1946 they traveled to the United States for a three-month visit to Santa Barbara that lasted a lifetime.

Isabelle attended boarding school at the Dominican Convent in San Rafael, skipped grades, and began college at just 16. She graduated from Scripps College with a bachelor's degree in literature. While at Scripps, she met Stevens Manning Jr., who was driving a cab to help pay for his way through nearby Claremont College. They married in 1955, lived first in San Francisco, and then moved to Belvedere in Marin County, where they raised their six children.

Isabelle volunteered her time generously to her community. She tutored reading, taught women with special needs to use a sewing machine, and worked with the Junior League's Marin chapter, where she helped edit the book Here Today: San Francisco's Architectural Heritage, which highlighted historic houses in Marin County and San Francisco.

Isabelle liked to swim, learned to ski, played tennis and golf, and enjoyed an active life with her growing family. Singing was also a joy for Isabelle. She was a member of the San Francisco Choral Society. She had a keen eye for beauty and found endless pleasure in sewing, painting, embroidery, and needlepoint.

Her curiosity drew her to travel. In 1974 she took her four eldest children to France to meet their French relatives. In 1976, after her divorce, she sold the family home and took her two youngest children on a three-month overland journey along the Marco Polo Spice Trail, from London to Kathmandu. Years later, as each of her twelve grandchildren turned thirteen, she shared her love of travel by taking them to a destination of their choosing anywhere in the world.

Isabelle settled in San Francisco in 1976, where she worked as a leasing agent for the newly rebuilt Pier 39. She was instrumental in recruiting the original artists, craftspeople, and boutiques that gave the wharf its refined artistic character when it opened. She then drew on her French roots in sales at Pierre Deux. At the age of 50, she entered law school at the University of San Francisco, graduated in 1986, passed the bar, and practiced law for a time at Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon. Later, she joined fellow Dominican Convent alumnae to edit and publish a revised edition of A Book of Courtesy, which was translated into nine languages and sold millions of copies to benefit the school. She also enjoyed helping translate several French books into English.

In 2002 Isabelle fell deeply in love with and married Robert Farleigh Toms. Sadly, he died just three years later. Isabelle’s strong network of friends, frequent engagement with her children and grandchildren, and an enduring curiosity and interest in life kept her vibrant and busy. She attended the San Francisco Symphony through 2025 and enjoyed countless other music and dance performances. She sang for years in the choir at St. Agnes Catholic Church near her home, and she enjoyed playing the piano up to her final days.

Isabelle is survived by her sister, Françoise Surcouf Park, and four of her six children: Stevens Manning III (Katherine) and his three children Claire, Alexander, and Jonathan; Emilie Calhoun (Tom) and her three children Eli, Marie, and Charles; Paul Manning (Amy) and his two children Sarah and Isabelle; and Kim Zvik (Stu and Assi) and her four children Ilana, Genevieve, Tal, and Lior. She is also survived by her great-grandson, Henry Chen. She was predeceased by her son Peter in 1964 and her son Patrick in 2018 (survived by his spouse, Deborah Heirs).

Isabelle will be remembered for her boundless energy, elegance, grace, and generosity. She was a mesmerizing storyteller who could talk with someone of any generation on topics ranging from history and politics to trivia and manners, and her French accent lent every conversation a touch of elegance. While formal at times, she was also warm and deeply supportive of those she loved. Spontaneous and never shy with her opinions, she was equally tender and compassionate. She lived life to the fullest and was fully present in everything she did. She will be dearly missed.

A celebration of life will be held at St. Agnes Catholic Church San Francisco on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. Those who wish to honor Isabelle's generous spirit may donate on her behalf to a charity of their choice.