Isabel H. Mcginness

Isabel H. McGinness passed away peacefully at Bayhealth Sussex Campus on Sunday, May 3, 2020. She was born in Hurlock, Md. on June 25, 1920 to the late Harrison H. and Edith (Corkran) Howeth, Sr. Isabel graduated from Hurlock High School, then attended the University of Delaware where she earned a physical education degree. She worked at DuPont in Wilmington after graduation. She met and married her husband Edward McGinness in 1947 before moving to Milton in the mid 1950s. Isabel taught school in Milton until she retired in 1985, and continued to substitute. She was an avid crossword puzzler and loved sharing stories through her social column in the Sussex Countian for many years. She would call friends to ask about their weekend, then they would see it in print the next week. She was very active in the Milton community and was a member of the Milton Century Club, Red Hat Society, Milton Garden Club, the Milton Senior Center, and she was a long time member of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. She had a core group of girlfriends - The Blue Hair Ladies - who had regular lunches and dinners. Many of the ladies, including Isabel were members of the Milton Bridge Club, founded in 1953. Her children recall her love of the beach, walks, and swimming in the ocean. She visited the family home on King Charles Street in Rehoboth to go to the beach, where she would tell her children to sit on a blanket while she took a swim in the ocean. She was an athlete even after motherhood filled her life. Isabel celebrated her 99th birthday with family and friends in 2019 and would have been 100 in June. When asked about her age she would say “I will be a century old, how about that!” She was adored and loved by all who met her and will be missed very much. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Edward S. McGinness; her sister, Winifred Raphel and her brother, Harrison H. Howeth, Jr. She is survived by her children, Mary Lou McGinness (David Alexander), Edward (Kathy) McGinness, and William (Debbie) McGinness; three grandchildren, Marlee McGinness, Robert (Brigid) Wolfgang Jr., and Valarie (Chris) Sockriter; and five great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Michael, and Sophie Sockriter; and Bobby and Bree Wolfgang.