Isabel A. O'Connell

ISABEL A. O'CONNELL (NEE MARSHALL) VALPARAISO, IN
Isabel A. O'Connell (nee Marshall), age 74 of Valparaiso; formerly of Merrillville and Gary, passed away peacefully at home on February 20, 2015. She is survived by her husband, James; daughters: Susan O'Connell, Helen (John) Hochstetler; sons: David (Kathy) O'Connell, Daniel (Missy) O'Connell; sister, Joan (Bernard) Zapp; nephew, Kirk (Linda) Zapp; five grandchildren: Robert, Megan, Chad, Elizabeth, and Thomas. Preceded in death by her parents Robert and Harriet Marshall. Isabel graduated from Jefferson Elementary, Horace Mann High School, Class of 1958, and Indiana University Northwest in Gary, and earned a degree in Religious Education from Calumet College in Whiting. She married her husband James on October 28, 1961. She was an amazingly talented person: she played the cello, piano, guitar; she belonged to two symphony orchestras; authored four children's books; was an accomplished artist; and taught elementary school all while being a mother of four and a wife to James. She loved to travel and even toured China with the Lake Shore Orchestra twice. She was especially proud of her Scottish ancestry, twice touring Scotland and Ireland. Over the years, she worked in the Gary Public Library, as a teller at Gary National Bank, as a teacher at SS. Peter & Paul in Merrillville, as a teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Hobart and, after retiring, as an intervention teacher at St. Paul in Valparaiso. She tutored many children and worked as a volunteer with other-abled children. She was an active member of Delta Kappa Gamma, where she held the president and treasurer positions, and was a member of the Indiana Retired Teacher's Organization. As an active participant in the Catholic faith, she was a member of the Cursillo Movement, Liturgy and Music Director at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church in Merrillville; where she was a charter member, and a lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Valparaiso. Family and friends may call at Pruzin Brothers Funeral Service (6360 Broadway, Merrillville) on Tuesday from 2:00- 8:00 PM with a prayer service at 2:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. DIRECTLY from St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church (5920 Waite St., Merrillville) with Rev. Gerald Schweitzer officiating. There will be visitation at the church one hour prior to services. At rest Calumet Park Cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the St. Paul Education Fund Family and friends may share an online condolence or memory at www.pruzinfuneralservice.com