Obituaries

Community leader Isabelle Summer, 74

Posted

Isabelle Summer, 74, a longtime Riverdale resident once recognized in local papers for beautifying the chain link fence on West 239th Street and Independence Avenue by painstakingly planting wisteria and morning glories, died in her home on March 28, 2017.

A photographer, gourmand and woman of unmatched warmth and humor, she survived stage 4 endometrial cancer, but struggled from complications of treatments for years without complaint or fear.

She leaves, and lives on in, her partner Jane Summer, niece Anya Katz, sister Helene, and brother-in-law Irv Adler, along with children Monica Goodman and Gabrielle Higson, and many more family and friends, particularly from her years as darkroom manager at Fairchild Communications. 

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Isabelle’s name to the World Wildlife Fund.

Isabelle Summer,