René A. Isaac

- René A. Isaac, who was born a Cornishman, served in the Royal Navy, had a long and successful career with The Reader's Digest Association, and raised a family with his wife Ann, died on January 15, 2019 at the age of 94.

René Alexandre was born in Liskeard, England on July 25, 1924 to his coal and building supply merchant father John Clark Isaac and his stylish French mother Jeanne Raphanel Isaac. With his older brother John, he filled his childhood with swimming, boating, and fishing in Millendreath, a cove near Looe, Cornwall on the coast of the English Channel where his family first had a summer bungalow and later moved into a home they built called Black Rock.

In addition to his brother John, René was close to his cousin Winifred Hardy Williams, who he considered his older sister, as well as Shelagh Fryer, his foster sister who joined the family during the war.

At the age of ten, René joined his brother at Sidcot, a co-educational Quaker boarding school in Winscombe, North Somerset. René played rugby as scrum half, credited his ballroom dancing ability to school functions, and was Senior Prefect and Head Boy in his final year. His time at Sidcot was a formative experience and he saw himself as an enormous beneficiary of his Quaker education.

René went off to the London School of Economics, but due to the war he studied at Peterhouse of the University of Cambridge. A year later in 1943, he joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman after his training at H.M.S. Ganges. Following service on the H.M.S. Victory and H.M.S. Folkstone, he was sent to officer training at King Alfred Naval Academy, where he graduated first in his class as a Sub Lieutenant R.N.V.R. He served on the H.M.S. Loch Fada and later the H.M.S. Inkpen. The majority of his sea time was spent protecting supply convoys from German U-boats off the west coast of Africa between Sierra Leone and Lagos, Nigeria. At the completion of the war he returned to LSE and in 1948 earned a degree in economics and statistics.

His career began in London at the British Export Trade Research Organization as Research Executive, and after three years he was sent to New York as the Assistant Manager of North America. Just a few months later in May of 1952 he joined The Reader's Digest Association as Assistant Research Manager conducting market research for all Digest products both domestic and international. René rose through the ranks to become Vice President, Corporate Research Director in 1971. His pioneering improvements and innovations to advertising research made him well known in the industry. He made friends of colleagues near and across the globe, and was respected for his intelligence, warm heart, and good humor. By the end of his 36-year career with the Digest he was Vice President, Director of Corporate Planning and Development.

René and Ann raised their family beginning in Scarsdale and later in Chappaqua, New York. They enjoyed travel with highlight trips to England, Australia, New Zealand, and Alaska. René was also an avid player of tennis and paddle tennis.

René and Ann moved to Peterborough, NH for their retirement and spent the last 10 years at the RiverMead retirement community where they made many new friendships and enjoyed playing pool and bridge. They spent summer months at their home on Lake Winnipesaukee where they first met. At the lake, René and his best friend Ken Hall spent many hours together rowing, sailing, and undertaking building projects.

René is survived by his son Andrew and his wife Denise of Moultonborough, NH, daughter Nancy Isaac and her husband Stephen Cohn of Winchester MA, and daughter Jeanne Mooney and her husband Joel of Belmont, MA. He was predeceased by his wife of 62 years Ann (nee Rose) and their son Geoffrey Clark Isaac. He is also survived by his five grandchildren John Mooney, Sarah Mooney, Frances Mooney, Chase Cohn, and Dylan Cohn, as well as nieces Sue Forster and Alison Etherington, and nephew John Isaac. René also leaves his friend Christine Kelly.



A reception will be held at RiverMead. Burial will be private in Moultonborough, NH.