Obituary of Mary Lou Ella Isaacson

Mary Lou Ella (Hanson) Isaacson, age 80, of Bloomington, MN, died October 14, 2023, on the eve of her 81st birthday, at Brookdale Senior Living in Eagan, MN. Her son was by her side. Born October 15, 1942, Mary Lou graduated from St. Croix Falls (WI) High School in 1961 and attended Dana College in Blair, NE.

She and her husband Peter loved to welcome people into their home. Their house, which Mary Lou lived in for 59 years, was the site of frequent large gatherings of their children’s friends, sometimes overnight. They also provided extended temporary housing for more than a dozen people at various times. And on four occasions, they hosted an exchange student or teacher for a year through the AFS Cultural Exchange. Quick with a quip, and prone to break out into song, Mary Lou, though unassuming, often managed to be the life of any party. 

Mary Lou worked in various clerical positions in the Twin Cities, including at J.M. Dain, where she met her future husband Peter, Cy Decosse and Associates, DCA, and McGladrey and Pullen. She was a tireless reader of mystery novels and was accomplished in many types of needlework, particularly knitting, as well as sewing. She was a founding member of Northern Winds and Percussion (now the Northern Winds Concert Band). She attended House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Richfield, and Grace Lutheran, Christ the King Lutheran, and Oak Hill Lutheran Churches in Bloomington.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband Peter Isaacson, daughter Pamela Isaacson, father Ezra Hanson, mother Violet (Madsen) Hanson, brother James Hanson, and sister Janice Juckel. She is survived by her son Eric Isaacson (Manju Ahuja); five grandchildren: Jeremy Isaacson, Amanda Isaacson-Zvidzwa (Farai Zvidzwa), Anna Lindell (Thomas), Sarah Ratzburg (Joshua), and John Isaacson; three great-grandchildren, Nora Lindell, Sawyer Lindell, and Kristopher Ratzburg; her sister Sharon Wampfler (Allen); and a rich extended family. 

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, November 18, at 1:00 p.m. at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 7110 France Avenue South, Edina, MN, with visitation beginning at 12:00 and a reception to follow. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that those who wish to memorialize Mary Lou do so by making a donation to one of the following two organizations:

In recognition of Mary Lou’s lifelong love of reading: Friends of the Hennepin County Library (https://www.supporthclib.org/give-tribute-donation) 

To support efforts to eradicate Alzheimer’s and related diseases: The Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/)