Isabel H. Pelloux

With heavy hearts, the family of Isabel H. Pelloux, a 55-year resident of Winchester, Mass, announces her passing on February 27, 2025. It was a brief illness, and during her last hours she was surrounded by her loving family and many longtime friends who came to say goodbye. She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Regis MN Pelloux, and she is survived by her son Marc Pelloux and his wife Carolyn of Wells, Maine, and her daughter Babette Pelloux and her wife Ronda, of Wells, Maine and Palm Desert, California.
Isabel, 95, was born in 1929 in Chesley, Ontario, Canada to Dr. Russell and Glenna Stephens. She was the last surviving child of 5 siblings, all who were blessed with long lives. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario School of Nursing in 1952. Although her goal was to become a doctor, it was almost unheard of for a woman at the time, so she decided to go into public nursing. She graduated from Harvard University School of Public Nursing in 1957, where she received a full scholarship. While at Harvard, a friend convinced her to go to an Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong dance at the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It was at that dance where she met her future husband Regis, an MIT doctoral student from Passy, France. They fell in love immediately and were married at St. Paul Church in Toronto, Canada less than a year later. As a French citizen, Regis was obligated to return to France in 1959 to serve in the French army. Isabel, never backing away from an adventure or a challenge, went to France with him, even though she spoke not a word of the language. Determined to fit in, she went to the local market every day and learned the French words of things she would see and speak with the merchants. Although she never really mastered the art of the French accent, she quickly taught herself to become fluent in the language. When Regis was stationed as an officer in Algeria during the French/Algerian war, she visited Algeria several times, where she fell in love with a stray puppy who they named Lalotte and brought her back to the US. Lalotte was her first child and traveled with them everywhere for the next 17 years.
When they returned to Boston in 1960, Isabel began working as a Public Visiting Nurse in some of the roughest neighborhoods in the city of Boston. She succeeded at her job because she was able to connect with people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, many of whom spoke no English. Her ability to connect with anyone was her strongest asset and served her well through her entire life.
In 1961, Isabel and Regis moved to Seattle for a job with Boeing Labs. It was there the couple adopted their two children, Marc and Babette. When Regis was offered a teaching position at MIT, they moved back to Massachusetts where they found their forever home on Prospect Street in Winchester. Isabel, being very social, quickly became active in the community, finding many friends through her involvement in the Winton Club. In 1976 she was honored to be the President and was very successful at fundraising for the Winchester Hospital. Over the years she remained very active in the club, taking on different roles to benefit the community, and even performed a kick line dance number (with two left feet!) at the annual Winton Club Variety show. In 1983 she joined the Winchester Garden Club and was a very active member up until her death. She never missed a good party and always loved to get dressed up and attend Garden Club meetings and events.
Isabel lived a very full and healthy 95 years. As the wife of an MIT Professor, she traveled the globe, making friends in every corner of the world. She loved to host student parties at her home on Prospect Street and was adored by all of Regis' graduate students - she thought of them as family and they of her. She maintained many of those friendships for over 50 years and each year her Christmas card collection from around the world would rival that of any foreign ambassador! She traveled well into her early nineties throughout Japan, England, Italy and France even making one last trip to Palm Desert California to visit her daughter and daughter in law just days before her death.
Isabel was proud to be a modern Renaissance woman and participated in many activities and sports throughout her long life. As a young woman she would speed skate on frozen rivers in Canada and later taught many kids in the neighborhood to skate; she was an accomplished skier and skied all over the country and in the French Alps; she sailed at our family cottage on Lake Huron and at the Winchester and MIT Boat Clubs; she loved to hike, and conquered many mountains around the country as well as in Pakistan and France; she played tennis at the Packer courts in Winchester well into her 80's; she constantly worked to improve her bridge game and in her later years she embraced technology and loved to play online; she gardened, quilted, cooked delicious French cuisine, catered lavish dinner parties with French wine, and was an amazing mother and homemaker. But most of all, she loved people loved to be surrounded by her friends, neighbors and family, and never turned down a good cocktail (as long as someone else made it for her!). Her radiant smile and infectious positive attitude will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
A celebration of Isabel's fabulous life will be held at the Winchester Country Club on March 15th. Please RSVP by March 6 to Babettepelloux@hotmail.com if you would like to attend.