Katherine Elizabeth McIsaac, 85, of Groveland passed away peacefully Sunday, April 23, at Merrimack Valley Hospice House, Haverhill.
McIsaac was born in Haverhill Nov. 10, 1931, to Walter and Mary (Sheehan) Willis. Having grown up in Haverhill, she graduated with the class of 1949 from Haverhill High School. After graduation, she attended Mount Auburn Hospital School of Nursing, Cambridge. Upon graduating in 1952, she was employed at Mount Auburn Hospital for three years before returning to Haverhill to work at the former Hale Hospital. By the end of her 11 years at the hospital, she was the evening and operating room supervisor. In 1965, she met the man who would change her life on a blind date. She married Walter McIsaac in 1966 and shortly thereafter, they welcomed their son, Paul, to the world. It was at this time McIsaac set aside full-time nursing to care for her newborn son and ailing mother. She eventually returned to nursing as a substitute school nurse in the Pentucket Regional School District, as well as conducting the annual eye and ear testing for students throughout the district. As a long-time resident of Groveland, she also served on the Groveland Board of Health and as a trustee of the Langley-Adams Library. She was also a long-time member of the Groveland Nurses’ Club.
McIsaac leaves a son, Paul, his wife Sally, and two grandchildren, Hannah and Finlay, all of Newbury; a niece and nephew, Cindy Dunphy and her husband Larry of Cabot, Ark., and Leonard Willis of Exeter, N.H.; along with cousins and many friends. Her husband, Walter, preceded her in death in 2002. She wanted to express deep gratitude for the extraordinary care she received while in the Intensive Care Unit at Anna Jaques Hospital and at Merrimack Valley Hospice House during her final days.
Family and friends are invited to attend calling hours Friday, April 28, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Kevin B. Comeau Funeral Home, 486 Main St., Haverhill. Funeral services begin Saturday, April 29, at 9 a.m., from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10, at St. John the Baptist Church, 110 Lincoln Ave., Haverhill, and burial to follow in Bridge Street Cemetery, West Newbury. In lieu of flowers, those who wish could make donations in McIsaac’s name to the Friends of the Groveland Council on Aging, P.O. Box 301, Groveland, MA 01834 or the Merrimack Valley Hospice House, 360 North Avenue, Haverhill, MA.