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Isobel Helen Van Wart (nee Clark), affectionately known as “Issie”, was born June 18, 1935, and grew up in Hawick, Scotland. She always maintained a strong connection to Hawick, becoming a Teri at heart when she moved away at the age of 18 years to attend nursing school at Edinburgh Royal Hospital. Issie trained as a midwife in York and Kingston upon Thames in England and in her early years of nursing carried out home deliveries.
Issie always had a love for travel and adventure. She worked as a nurse in Bermuda where she made dear and lifelong friends. From Bermuda, she moved to Collingwood, Ontario, and then eventually to Vancouver where she worked at Shaughnessy Hospital and met her husband Arthur Van Wart. Arthur (Art) was in the isolation ward sick with Hepatitis and Issie nursed him back to health. They married soon after on November 12th 1966 in Hawick and had a beautiful partnership for over 58 years. Issie and Art raised their family of four children, Louise, Helen, Harriet and Jamie, in Kerrisdale. They made many close friends in the community, and Issie was an active member of the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School for over thirty years.
Issie raised her four children with a fortitude that impressed many. She was known for biking, walking, or taking the bus to carry out her errands and chores. She was a true anchor for her family, always having dinners prepared and insisting all the family eat together each night. This was particularly admired by Art’s work colleagues. Being a family physician, Art worked long hours, but he was always home for dinner (and then would head out after dinner for his evening house calls).
Issie had many activities, and they created lasting friendships. She took joy in her Scottish country dance group, as well as tennis, walking, bridge, and book clubs. She had a flair for hosting parties, always making any activity she did that much more fun. Her home was a place all felt welcome, and where many laughs and good memories were shared.
In 1977, Issie and Art decided to spend summers with the children at Crescent Beach, and in their later years lived at Crescent Beach year-round. Upon discovering Crescent Beach they quickly fell into the gravitational pull of the Crescent Beach Swimming Club (CBSC) where they found a deep and meaningful community. Issie made many contributions to CBSC over the years, and became widely and affectionately known as the “hot chocolate lady” for serving hot chocolate from the beach for the CBSC tanker swimmers. In the early days, this may have been eight or ten swimmers at a time. More recently, this would be up to fifty swimmers. Most said she served the “best hot chocolate ever”.
Issie passed away peacefully on December 26th at Peace Arch Hospital, surrounded by her family (even those in Halifax by phone). She was predeceased by her mother Margaret (Peggy) Clark (nee Weir), father James Clark, and brother David Clark. Survived by her sister-in-law Babs Clark, husband Arthur, children Louise (and Ross McLaren), Helen (and David Iwankow), Harriet (and Sheldon Tetreault), Jamie (and Lisa Jacobs) and grandchildren Nicholas, Riel, Isaac, Maggie, Willem, Lewis and Elsie.
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