Isabelle Hunt Bailey

Isabelle Hunt Bailey passed away peacefully on 11/20/2017 surrounded by her loving children. Isabelle was born on Staten Island on 1/4/1933 to the late Livingston Sloan Hunt and Eleanor Daley Hunt. She was predeceased by her sister Turell Hunt Green and her eldest son Harlow Bailey and daughter-in-law, Candace Pepper. Isabelle was the devoted wife of Bartlett Bailey and mother of her five remaining children, Susanna Brooks, Eleanor Woodruff (Allen), Livingston Bailey, Russell Bailey and Nicholas Bailey (Eve). She will be greatly missed by her beloved grandchildren Morgan, Margaret and David Brooks, Marshall Woodruff, Harlow Bailey and Chyenne Cramer. Isabelle was thrilled to have six great grandchildren as well: Skylar, William, Nicholas, Noah, Avery and Jackson. She will also be missed by her dear and long-time friend, Evelyn Hatch.
In 1950, Isabelle graduated from the Staten Island Academy and married “the handsomest man on the Island.” They moved to New Jersey, managing farms and learning the farming business. In 1954, they bought a farm in Skillman, NJ and for the next eight years had many adventures raising Black Angus and four children! In 1962, they sold the farm and moved to Hopewell, NJ and ventured into the restaurant business. After running Black Bart’s for ten years, and adding two more children to the family, Isabelle and Bart decided to move their family north to Essex, NY. They bought the Old Dock House in 1968 and Isabelle made a home for her family there for the first summer. Starting the following year, the Old Dock was open for business and ran for ten years as a family run restaurant. Isabelle wore many hats during those years. She juggled raising six children and working in the restaurant with her usual grace and calm assurance. Isabelle’s love of gardening and sense of style, turned the Old Dock into a beautiful place. We hope that all her friends will remember the fun times and happy events that happened at the Old Dock during those many years.
In 1978, Isabelle and Bart were looking for a year round business and bought the Westport Country House. Together, with help from their clever and handy sons, they renovated it into a year round, full service hotel and renamed it The Westport Hotel. After four memorable years of business, celebrating holidays together with family and friends and weddings at the Hotel, Isabelle and her husband decided it was time to retire. They settled in Elizabethtown and spent many years enjoying life and entertaining family and friends.
Isabelle was a stately and gracious woman with a wonderful sense of humor. We will miss the way she would confidently sing a song with her beautiful voice…but with all the wrong words! We will miss her great laugh and whistling. We will miss her calm way of delivering down to earth and matter of fact advice, only when asked for. We will miss her open heart and unconditional love. The jingling sound of her gold bracelets as she moved through her days will forever be in our hearts.
The family would like to thank the entire staff at the Elizabethtown Community Hospital for their gentle kindness and compassion during her stay. Thank you so, so much.
Arrangements were entrusted to Heald Funeral Home, 7521 Court Street, Elizabethtown.
To light a memorial candle or leave an online condolence please visit www.healdfuneralhomeinc.com