Isabel Carroll Christofferson, 92, passed peacefully away on July 19, 2014, in Seattle, Washington, surrounded by family. She was known for her intelligence, compassion, tremendous spirit, beauty, and wit; as well as her great love of friends, family and animals. Born February 14, 1922, in Casper, Wyoming, one of Floyd ("Doc") and Grace Carroll's six children, she grew up in Wyoming and Hollywood, where her father was a stunt double for the great western stars of the day, including Tom Mix. When her father became the Wyoming state veterinarian, the family returned to Wyoming and a ranch outside Cheyenne, Remount Ranch, which they owned with author Mary O'Hara and her husband. Isabel liked to tell stories of listening to O'Hara typing away on the book My Friend Flicka when Isabel was a child. Isabel attended the University of Wyoming, where she met her future husband, DuWayne Christofferson ("Chris"), of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The two moved to Chicago, where Chris worked as a civil and nuclear engineer for Chicago Bridge and Iron for over four decades, and started a family. In addition to being a loving and adored mother and grandmother, Isabel found time to model, play tennis, and indulge her passion for the arts; in particular, writing and film. Isabel passed her writing genes on to her children and grandchildren, several of whom are successful authors. Isabel's other great passion was travel. Together, during a marriage that lasted over 50 years, Isabel and Chris traveled the world with their many wonderful friends; but they always returned to the West, spending a great deal of time in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the family cabin overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene. In 1997, Isabel's father--who, in addition to being a veterinarian, was the youngest to ever win the World Championship in bronc busting at Cheyenne Frontier days--was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame's "Hall of Great Westerners," joining the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea and Will Rogers. In typical Isabel fashion, Doc's eldest daughter had fought tirelessly for this honor for her father. Speaking before a crowd of Western dignitaries and Hollywood stars, on that night, Isabel accepted the award for her beloved family with grace and humility. After Chris's death, Isabel moved West for the final time, first to Coeur d'Alene, to be with her children and grandchildren. In 2009, she moved to Seattle, to be near her youngest child, Lisa; Lisa's partner, Leon Jackson; and the light of each of Isabel's days: her granddaughter Chloѐ Isabella. Isabel stayed abreast of the news, enjoyed the company of her family, legions of friends and caretakers, and spoke up for those without voices until the very end. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed. Tellingly, the day after Isabel's strong spirit moved on, several of her caretakers confided to her children that they, too, had considered Isabel their "mom."


Isabel is preceded in death by her beloved husband, DuWayne; her siblings, Colleen Schroeder, Tom Carroll and Linda Smith; and countless beloved pets. She is survived by two of her siblings, Mary Palmer of Virginia, and Beverly Ball of Arizona; her children and their spouses/partners, Carroll Barry and Neil Robin of Chicago, Wayne and Barbara Christofferson of Coeur d'Alene, April and Steve Leach of Bozeman, MT and Lisa Christofferson and Leon Jackson of Seattle; seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Her feisty, fun-loving and compassionate spirit, as well as her belief that there are no limits to what we can achieve, lives on in each generation.