Isabel Brickley Boylston, 94 yrs old, formerly of Houston Texas, died Thursday, May 17, 2012, in San Diego, Calif., where she resided with her daughter for the last eight years. Isabel was born in Camden, N.J., on Jan 16, 1918. She was a 54 year resident of Houston, Texas. A very independent woman, Isabel graduated from Merchantville High School in New Jersey in 1935.
As a young secretary in Washington, DC, she worked on the investigation of the Wall Street Bankers related to the stock market crash of 1929. In the 1940s as WWII raged, she worked in the Office of War Information releasing information from the military to the media. Wanting to do more for the war effort, she joined the American Red Cross and was sent to the European Theater. Isabel met a young Navy surgeon, Bedford F. Boylston M.D. in Le Havre, France, and they were married in London, England in 1945.
When the war was over, Dr. Boylston completed his residency in Boston. In 1950, they moved to Houston, Texas, where Dr. Boylston began his career in orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. They had three children: Ann (Dr. Michael B.) Farnell of Rochester, Pat (Dr. Lee) Whitt of Del Mar, Calif., and Dr. B.F. “Buck” (Greta) Boylston of Washington, D.C. They all survive.
Isabel was widowed in 1958 when her children were 8, 6, and 4 years old. She devoted her life to raising her children and was an enthusiastic St. John’s School parent.
After her children left for college and graduate school, Isabel started a new career at Baylor College of Medicine where she was an assistant to Dr. E. Stanley Crawford and served as secretary of the early Institutional Review Board. After a career of more than 20 years with Baylor College of Medicine, Isabel retired to enjoy her Galveston Island beach house and visits with her children and grandchildren.
Isabel was a longtime fan of the Houston Rockets. She is survived by nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston, Texas, Friday, May 25, at 10 a.m. The family requests memorial donations to Baylor College of Medicine in lieu of flowers. Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home and Cemetery Houston, Texas, is handling all funeral arrangements. (281) 497-2330