Isabel N. Lindmark, a resident of Pacific Palisades for fifty years and an in-demand seamstress until her final year of life, died on April 8 from ovarian cancer. She was 85. Born July 8, 1921 in Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Isabel later migrated with her family to Argentina. She opened a designer lingerie boutique in Buenos Aires and became an avid golfer. It was at a golf club that she met her future husband Olof, a Swede, who owned and operated an import-export business in Argentina. The couple was married three days after Olof proposed, barely allowing Isabel enough time to sew her bridal outfit. Isabel was a loving and devoted wife to Olof for 43 years until his death in 1995. They enjoyed traveling and a shared love of golf. Even after Olof’s death, Isabel’s interest in golf never waned. Although she no longer played, she watched golf matches every weekend and was a big fan of Tiger Woods. Until a year before her death, Isabel ran a successful alterations business in the Palisades. She had a long list of clients, from both within and outside the community, who considered her an arbiter of style and trusted her judgment when it came to decisions regarding their wardrobes. Many of her clients had the experience of buying an outfit and taking it to Isabel only to have her say that it absolutely had to be returned because it was unflattering or made the wearer look frumpy or fat. And take it back they did. A warm, loving, generous, loyal and unselfish human being, Isabel became close personal friends with many of her clients over the years. Although she had no children of her own, she took a keen interest in the children and grandchildren of her clients. The walls of her home were filled with their photos and she loved listening to stories about them and having them visit. When they became adults, these children became a whole new generation of clients. Isabel was an active member of Corpus Christi Church, where for years she served as a sacristan and Eucharistic Minister. A memorial celebration of her life took place at the church on Friday, April 13. Isabel spent the last two weeks of her life both at St. John’s Hospital and Berkeley East, where she seemed to have more visitors, more phone calls and more flowers than any of the other patients. Although she had no relatives in this country, her large and loving family of friends and clients encircled her and returned the love and affection she had always showered on them.
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