Obituary of Isabelle M. Pilskaln
Isabelle Magnus Pilskaln passed away on April 21, 2020, due to leukemia. As her health declined, she remained devoted to her husband, Harold (Hal) Pilskaln, Jr.; to sustaining their peaceful existence together (with spirited dog, Zoe); and to sharing a smile and kind words with others she encountered. Isabelle was born to Doris and Robert Magnus in Brooklyn, NY in 1934. Brooklyn’s Park Slope felt to Isabelle like the ideal place to grow up. Along with brother Bob they experienced adolescence filled with people from a wide array of backgrounds, cultures and interests. This tapestry of diversity prepared Isabelle to accept and enjoy people everywhere she lived during the many moves throughout her life. At Packer Collegiate Institute and Wheaton College, Isabelle enjoyed friendships she maintained throughout her life. She also derived an appreciation for education. She taught as an occupation and as a volunteer to equip others, young and old.
Isabelle married a southerner who was in Boston for graduate school. She left all that she knew to venture to SC to begin, again. With Dave Robinson, Isabelle raised a daughter, Ames, and a son, Clay. New neighbors and friends in Columbia and Greenville, SC embraced Isabelle and taught her many things about thriving in the South. Among the experiences she treasured were visits to the beach with inspirational sunrises over the ocean and sunsets over the “creek” (marsh).
In 1984 Isabelle married her greatest love, Hal Pilskaln. A big smile. An even bigger laugh. This handsome, smart, ex-Marine, lawyer from Cleveland, Southern California, and New England courted Isabelle, thanks in part to their mutual friends from life in Boston three decades earlier. They were married on Martha’s Vineyard where they had many joyous memories. Isabelle and Hal moved often during their 35 married years. In each location on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, the Boston area, Minneapolis, Bayfield (Wisconsin) or western Massachusetts, Isabelle made a lovely home, filled with cherished photographs of family and friends, books, and always dogs, always rescued dogs. Together they found churches and worshipping together was part of their union. Isabelle also joined Hal in his deep dedication to raising awareness and funding for finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease which had taken the life of Hal’s first wife and two of his children, Suzanne and Peter, for whom she helped Hal provide care. Isabelle was beautiful and gentle. She also had a resilience that she relied on throughout her life. She gracefully confronted many challenges. There were always streaks of irreverence and mischief, and these traits were employed for laughter and connecting people she cared for. Isabelle is survived by her husband, Hal Pilskaln of South Hadley, MA; daughter, Ames and Allen Laws and her children, Greg Cameron and Maggie Cameron; son, Clay and Ellison Robinson, their children, Henry, Meredith and Sam; Hal’s daughter Cynthia Pilskaln ,Hal’s brother Robert Pilskaln and Hal’s grandson, Harold Pilskaln. Isabelle is also survived her brother, Bob and Mary Magnus, their children Lis (Barry) Mitchell, Burke (Colleen) Magnus, Lucy Magnus, and their children Barry, Margaret, John, Burke and Quinn. Isabelle was predeceased by her parents and stepfather Frank Fischetti. Memorial contributions may be made in Isabelle’s name to Wheaton College, Wheaton Alumni Relations Office, 26 E. Main St., Norton, MA 02766, or MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease Building 114, Charlestown Navy Yard,16th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.
