My First "Old Lady" Fall

Falls are associated with getting older. Different from a normal fall such as tripping or clumsiness, "old lady" falls (or "old man" falls, depending on your gender) happen as you age because you are less steady and stable, your muscles are weaker, and your joints hurt. So I found it quite ironic that I had my first "old lady" fall on my birthday, a day I was getting older!

I had stopped at the base of my mother's driveway in order to pick up her mail and get her newspaper for her. As I walked to the mailbox, I stepped on a large rock, twisted my ankle, and went flying face forward onto the pavement.

Going down happened fast, but I remember thinking, "Don't hit your head!!" and throwing my neck back. I think that saved me from a concussion and some facial cuts, maybe even from damage to my teeth. 

I lay there in the driveway, a bit stunned at what had just happened, and then slowly began moving my hands and wrists to see if I had broken anything. I could see abrasions on my palms, and my right elbow and left knee really hurt and were both bleeding.

5:00 traffic was whizzing past me on the highway, and I cringed momentarily as I remembered I was wearing a dress and wondered what my modesty factor was. Then I realized that, since I'd done a face plant, my backside was away from the road and no one could see my unmentionables. Unless my skirt had rucked up over my backside... A quick check proved that that was not the case.

A car on the highway slowed down and a lady yelled, "Are you okay? Do you need help??"

I said I was fine, but she and her husband pulled over anyway, got out of their car, and hurried over to where I lay. They insisted on helping me up, found my keys (they went flying out of my hand when I pitched forward), and stayed with me a couple of minutes as I gathered my wits. I was shaky and really appreciated their help up as well as the offer to get me to the hospital, but I could tell nothing was broken or needing stitches and declined.

Thanking them profusely, I asked their names but was so scattered at the time that I can't remember them now. I will NEVER forget their kindness, though, and the fact that they stopped to help a woman lying on the ground by her car.

 I had a lot of abrasions and a small chunk out of my left knee, plus it was very swollen with a goose egg on one side. At first I was concerned about the knee implant, wondering if I might have damaged it with the blow from the pavement, but I think it's okay. I put gauze and tape over the area after cleaning it, and aside from the swelling and tenderness when bending, felt okay.

The next day it continued to be sore and tender, and had a lot of heat in it, but clearly the healing process is well underway. The bruising is just beginning to show. I have other aches and pains in my muscles, especially under my arms and along my sides, too. 

I was very, very lucky that I didn't break a bone nor did I need stitches. And now I know that helpless feeling older folks have when they are falling and can do nothing about it but go down. It isn't a pleasant feeling. 

A Heinz 57 Birthday

Yesterday I turned 57. Having been born in 1957, Craig dubbed it my "Heinz 57" birthday, named after the ketchup that is made (supposedly) from 57 varieties of tomatoes.

And a variety of things sure did happen.

First, celebrating with twenty-six children who are more excited than you are about your birthday is a joy. I got hugs and birthday wishes all day. My meager offering of Oreo cookies to share with them was greeted with squeals of delight, and they sang my favorite version of the birthday song to me. (The robot version. You have to see it to believe it. Cracks me up every time they sing it.)

I heard from all my children and their families, and Craig cooked porcupine meatballs and mashed potatoes for me - another favorite!

 I got tons of birthday wishes from extended family and friends, too. By the end of my birthday, I had over 200 emails!

 My mother and Ian share a smile - I LOVE this picture.

Vanessa and I take a selfie.

And one with my mom.

The only thing that marred the day was that I had my very first "old lady" fall - how ironic that it happened on my birthday! I'll write about that later.

Despite that blip, my Heinz 57 birthday was a good one. There is nothing better than celebrating with loved ones.

Miscellania

Here are some very random pictures of things I wish to remember but aren't necessarily enough in and of themselves for separate blog posts. So, I am combining them into one.

The fungus on my mother's oak continues to mature. Taken last Sunday, I put a Coke can in the picture for scale reference. Pretty big, isn't it?!

Look closely at Abby, right between her ears and just a smidge higher. A yellow sulphur butterfly is on her neck!

I got one of those "update on my kid" emails this week that parents of former students occasionally send me. Always a treat to receive, this one was about Michael McKee, a child who arrived in my classroom with a terrified look in his eyes and a body the size of a second grader.

 He is still small in comparison to his peers, but he's making some big plays for Harrison. This one is from the scrimmage against West Side two weeks ago.

And, he's playing goalie for the high school lacrosse team.

Millie popped into my office to say "hello" (and probably hoping for some food!)

Sacked out and comfy in the dining room. Near food again. Hmmm.

Former Student Loses Home

Monday night either a tornado or a macroburst hit an area out by Hershey. While the damage was very concentrated, it was significant.

One of my former students, Maya, lost her home in the storm. Fortunately, she and her mother were at the high school for an open house. Her father and brother were at home, but thankfully neither were hurt when several large trees were uprooted and fell onto the residence.

One of several massive trees that were toppled onto the house.

 One tree came through the roof of the family room, smashing their TV and couch.

Their outdoor gazebo was not spared, either.

(An interesting thing happened during the storm - all the mailboxes in the damage area had their doors blown open! Maybe due to a pressure change?)

After the storm, the home began shifting and leaning from the weight of the trees on it. As the family began removing items and salvaging things, they noticed that doors to rooms and closets were becoming more and more difficult to close - an effect of that shifting. (Notice that the gazebo is leaning, too.) Sadly, the house has been deemed unlivable, so the family is in a hotel right now. 

Maya's mom is a kindergarten teacher at Hershey, and she is going to be out this week as she works with insurance adjusters and finds a place to live until they can raze this home and build a new one. 

As Connie said in an email to her students' parents, "Life can change in just a moment."

"Can I Ask a Question?"

Sarah Ferguson, one of Hershey's 5th grade teachers, shared this story with me yesterday at lunch.

She had been teaching a lesson to her class that morning, and as she was winding it down, a student's hand went up. Sarah called on her.

"Can I ask a question?" the girl asked.

"Of course!" Sarah replied. But the question she got was not one that she expected. It wasn't even remotely connected to the topic she had been teaching.

"Do you know what happened to the other Mrs. I.? Where is she?"

Sarah, kind (and wise) woman that she is, answered the child's question instead of pointing out that her question wasn't about the lesson.

She told me, "I told them that she was teaching fourth grade at Burnett Creek and they were very excited about that. They really wanted to know how she was. I think it is so sweet that they were wondering about Lisa and I thought you should know."

Lisa certainly touched lives when she was at Hershey.

Coaching the Teacher

Long story short, my class discovered this morning that I am learning about football and am going to try my hand at fantasy football. I really, truly, know very little at this point, but I have been reading sports articles and trying to follow the Denver Broncos and Purdue football teams.

I seem to have some real football NUTS in my new group of 4th grade boys. They know a lot about the game, and clapped when they heard that I was learning about their favorite sport. I didn't think much more about it as the day progressed and we moved on to other things.

Late in the afternoon, I had just given the 4th grade Math kids their daily assignment and turned them loose to work on it. JS, sitting in one of the desks right in front of me, leaned toward me and said in a confidential voice, "I've got some names for you. You should use them."

My mind on Math, I was confused and stated that I didn't know what he meant.

"You know, for your team! Your football team. Now first you should draft..." and JS began rattling off names while HS in the desk across from him nodded in approval at his selections. EK was consulted as to choice of quarterback (the only name I knew that JS gave me - Drew Brees of the Saints) and chimed in that the names JS was offering were good ones, agreeing that I should get them on my fantasy team.

I thanked the boys and then redirected them to their Math assignment, smiling inwardly at their enthusiasm for helping me as well as the fact that, at least in JS's case, their minds were not on Math this afternoon!

I have a suspicion that I might get a written list of names tomorrow when the boys return to school.

Smiles While Grading

Grading papers, quizzes, workbooks, and projects isn't something I look forward to. Not usually. It's a necessity of teaching, and you do it promptly as the kids need the feedback that grading provides. That means you may be grading well into the evening when you'd rather be relaxing or on a Saturday when you have a jillion things to do.

So, when you see something on a student's paper that makes you smile, it's a plus. Even better if it makes you laugh right out loud!

 Here's a clip from one that did yesterday. Look closely.

Every time this boy wrote about his brother's girlfriend, he dotted the letter | i | with hearts!  

I sat at the table upstairs in my office and laughed when I read that. While it is not unusual to have female students who put hearts over every single | i | (or even circles), I have never had a boy do it in eighteen years of teaching.

Made grading on the weekend feel a little less tedious.

Now Mandatory - For Me, at Least

Heated seats in the car. Whoever came up with THAT idea is a genius!

Ninety degrees outside?

My seat heater is turned up to high. (Er, so is the air conditioner.) That heater is always on, and is the first thing I do after I turn the key in the ignition.

When I bought my new car in July, I wanted heated seats if at all possible. I get chilly in the winter and, having experienced friends' cars who had heaters, wanted that option, too. I was lucky enough to find an affordable car with them already installed.

But I didn't think I would use them year round like I have been since I drove the car off the dealer's lot.

Why a hot seat in the summer? Well, I quickly discovered that the heat from the seats is not just in the seat cushion but also partially up the back rest. So, when I flip the switch that turns on the heat, it is like having a heating pad pressed against my sore back. I feel my muscles begin to relax as that heat seeps through my skin.

Seven months after Cole's birth, I ruptured a disc in my back and herniated two others. (Blame Mr. 10 pounder/23 incher for that plus the accumulated stress of five other full term pregnancies.) Healing took a loooong time, and I still have back trouble and the occasional herniated disc.

Now, add to that ankylosing spondylitis, scoliosis, a sacrum that curves to one side, and a portion of the spine that didn't close correctly. Is it any wonder that my back hurts most of the time?

The heated seat in my car does WONDERS in making my back feel better, even if it is just for a brief respite.

I now formally declare that heated seats are mandatory for any future Isenbarger car purchases.

A Wrinkle in Time

My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE book is Madeiline L'Engle's masterpiece, A Wrinkle in Time. My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Hayman, read it aloud to us, and I loved it so much back then that I vowed that, should I become a teacher, I would read it to my students.

And I have. Every single class. Despite its age, kids love it now just as much as I did back in the late 1960s. At the beginning of my teaching career my mother got me a hardback copy of the book to use, and my students all sign a page when we finish reading it together. I love to look through it and see those hundreds of names!

The cover on my book.

The original cover (also on the 50th anniversary book which I have, too.)

This fall the local children's theater is going to put on an adaptation of the book. Since that was announced, I have been getting emails and messages from former students (and their parents) excitedly sharing that news, with some kiddos even telling me that they were auditioning for a part.

I found this email from MR, one of my three year students who is now a junior at Harrison, in my inbox this morning:

Hey, Matthew and I both got cast in a Wrinkle in Time! Matthew is Charles Wallace and I am one of the narrators, so you should totally come.  :)

Oh yes, MR, I totally will!!

"So... How's Lisa??"

Lisa will deny it, but she made a big impression on many students, faculty, and administrators in TSC last year. She was beloved at Hershey, and I am becoming accustomed to seeing someone at school for the first time since last May and hearing,

"Hi, Lynn! How's Lisa?"

No, "How are you, Lynn?" or "How was your summer, Lynn?" or any other of the niceties people say to each other when they work together and have been apart for several months.

Nope! It's all Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.

I don't mind, actually. In fact, it makes me smile and feel very, very proud of my daughter. She IS a good teacher with loads of talent and a special gift for connecting with children.

But today's "How's Lisa" really took the cake.

I had a faculty meeting before school as the teachers were being trained on TSC's new safety procedures. John Pearl, principal of Battleground Elementary, was one of the speakers. As I entered the room, he spied me, smiled, and came over to say hello.

"Hey! I saw Lisa the other day! So good to see her...."

And he went on and on about my daughter.

Now, that was a surprise (he also spoke of the church - he knows we are LDS and brought up a comparison between Catholic parishes and LDS wards.) His asking about Lisa totally caught me off guard but, just like the other "Hey, Lynn, how's Lisa?" events of the past week, I felt a certain sense of pride that my daughter had made such an impact that principals from around TSC (Mary Beth Fitzgerald, Mike Pinto, John Pearl, Mark Pearl, Linda Fields) know of her and the good teacher that she is.

Not only is she an excellent teacher, she's a wonderful human being. It's good to see her recognized for all that she has done.

It's Ba-ack!

About this time of year, I begin inspecting my mother's oak tree which stands by her basement door when I pick her up for Sunday dinner. The home was built around the massive tree, and it is probably 150 - 200 years old.

Sadly, its demise has begun. When this fungus begins showing on the trunk of a tree, you know the tree's death has begun. I noticed it several years ago, so the process is well underway.

Sunday, the fungus had reappeared. (It is much larger than this picture makes it seem.)

I think it is Grifola Fondosa or Meripilus Giganticus; either way, the fungus is eating the wood inside the tree. It shows up on the outside of the trunk in late summer through early fall, then blackens, withers, and disappears only to return the following year. The cycle goes on and on as the tree dies.

Believe it or not, the fungus is edible and early setters and Native Americans ate it.

Perhaps I should clip some and add it to our Sunday dinner menu?? (Just kidding!!)

Stormy Weather

A good storm passed to the north of the area last night, so fortunately we were spared the brunt of it. We did get to see the clouds, though, and had lots of lightning and thunder.

This cloud loomed eerily over my neighbors' home.

 It wasn't a funnel cloud, but it sure was unusual.

It is always odd to see the sun come out after an intense storm. Last night, the sun was setting as the storm blew by, so I was able to snap this interesting photo of it.

A Visit from My Cousin

My cousin, Liz Weyman, came to see us this past Saturday.

Ian, Liz, and me.

Liz is Sissy's daughter and lives in Boston where she works in cancer research.

Vanessa, Jenny, my mother, Ian, and Liz.

We had breakfast at Route 66 in West Lafayette.

Craig, me, my mom, Liz, Jenny, Lisa, Curt, Vanessa, and Ian.

After breakfast, Liz had an hour before she needed to drive to Cincinnati for a wedding, so she came over to our home and chatted.

Liz and my mom.

She is so much like my aunt! Same mannerisms, same speech patters, same kind nature. So good to get to spend a morning with her!

Back to School - Together!

It was back to school this week. Teachers went back Monday, and the kiddos arrived on Wednesday.

Wednesday morning Lisa and I did a back to school picture prior to leaving for our respective schools. (Notice the photo bomber in the lower lefthand corner.)

We may not be at the same school any more, but we are both teaching the 4th grade curriculum - Lisa a straight 4th grade class and me a 4th/5th multiage.

It's really fun to share the same teaching experience with your daughter!

A Very Literal Student

I gave a Math assessment today and had to laugh when I graded one fourth grader's paper.

 The question asks for the student to write 100 hundreds in standard form. The correct answer is 10,000  (100 x 100.)

This child took the question as it was written and began writing 100 over and over and over, even placing brackets around it to group them and help track how many had been completed!

I'll clarify what the question was asking tomorrow during Math.

Things like this remind me of how much I love my job!

The Power of a Good Book

One of the books on my Classics shelf is Pippi Longstocking. I haven't had a child choose to read it who didn't love it - it's humorous, it's surprising, and it's innocent. A great book!

I read and enjoyed it as a child, and it's fun for me to see my students come to love it, too.

Last year, KR had a good time reading the book and then writing a paper and doing a project on it for her Classic presentation. I had no idea of the extent she liked that book. Here's a hint:

 A receipt from Stockholm. 

Stockholm, SWEDEN, that is.

It was in the gift bag KR gave me this week with a Pippi doll and bookends.

She'd gone to Sweden this summer! 

But surely, not because of the book. No family would travel overseas simply because of a book, would they? Knowing KR's father was a geologist and often travelled around the world as a result, I figured they'd been headed there anyway and had simply stopped in at the Pippi museum since they were already in the country.

Her mother straightened that out for me.

"K and her father always go somewhere together every summer - it's a tradition. She really enjoyed doing her classic on Pippi Longstocking; that's what made her want to go to Sweden. So, when they talked about where to go this summer, she wanted to go there. I am so glad we were able to make the trip happen."

I am trying to wrap my brain around that. 

Earning Honest, Honorable Money

I was lucky to have Jackie Anderson as an aide in my classroom for three years. She was a paraprofessional for a diabetic girl for one year when I taught the 2/3 GT class at Hershey and then for two more years in the 4/5 GT class.

Jackie became a very dear friend, and we got together for lunch just before the start of school.

Jackie and me.

She laughed when she saw my wrist as we ate and chatted.

"I see you still write notes to yourself on your wrist like you used to," she teased with a smile. "I will always remember that about you."

And then she sobered and said, "You know what else I remember? I remember something you taught me. It has stuck with me ever since."

I could not imagine what she was talking about so I asked her what she meant. 

"You told me to never, ever be ashamed of earning honest money, that no job was beneath our dignity to do because earning money to support yourself and your loved ones was honorable even if the job is menial. I think about that now - I am working this summer at a car dealership as a receptionist during the day. Then, several evenings a week, I work at a local pool, checking people in as they come to swim. They're not glamorous jobs, but I'm earning honest, honorable money, just as you said."

I do not remember saying that to her, but I have worked some jobs myself that might be considered a little less than desirable - babysitting, throwing newspapers from my bike (as an adult), and cleaning, among others. 

It was those experiences that helped me to come to that realization that earning money honestly is honorable. At times I was a little embarrassed about how I earned money, but at the same time I recognized that doing so allowed me to stay home with my children while they were little, something that was my highest priority.

Thanks, Jackie, for the reminder.

An Ethereal Beauty

"Ethereal beauty" sounds like hyperbole. But it isn't. Not when it comes to this:

This Luna moth was on the wall by the exit door near my classroom yesterday afternoon. Grabbing my iPhone and crossing my fingers that it would not flutter away before I could snap a picture, I crept as close as I could and took its picture.

Yesterday was the first day back to work for teachers (students begin Wednesday) and I was already tired and drained when I discovered the moth clinging to the wall. I could not help but smile when I saw it there, and feel like it is a little extra blessing sent by the Lord to remind me that this world is bigger than what goes on in my classroom and to keep my perspective when days are tough.

Thank you, Lord.

Carnival of the Crayfish

French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saens wrote a suite of fourteen movements about animals called The Carnival of the Animals in 1886. (If you have never listened to it, do so! My favorite movement is Aquarium; I always play it for my students when I teach my unit on the oceans.)

Were Saint-Saens still living, I might request that a fifteenth movement be added - The Crawl of the Crayfish.

Yesterday afternoon I was driving to pick up my mother for Sunday dinner. As I turned onto the road that cuts through the Indiana Veterans Home, I noticed something scuttling ahead of me on the pavement.

Alongside the road and already safely across was another of the large dark shapes, making its way through the gravel.

Look at the center top of the picture to see the second one. It's the dark spot by the green grass at the edge.

Crayfish! And for some reason, both were crossing the road and heading south.

Hitting the brakes, I got out of my car. And then I had to laugh. This guy had his dukes up and was swaggering at me in defiance, just daring me to approach!

He (or she) turned and pivoted, threatening me with those claws as I worked to find a way to scoop him/her up and off the road. 

Mission accomplished, I got back in the car only to see another crayfish in the road a hundred feet or more away, also heading south. I stopped, scooped it up, too, and carried it to the far side of the road. 

I smiled as I imagined my mother's disbelief as to why I was tardy in picking her up. "Really, Lynn? You expect me to believe there were three crayfish in the road? One I can believe, but THREE??" I could hear her incredulously asking me in my imagination.

Well, she got the opportunity to see for herself. As we came back down the road headed to my home and Sunday dinner, what did we find but three more crayfish in another spot, all headed south like the first three. Again I stopped the car, scooped them up, and transferred them to the southern side of the road and (hopefully) safety. (The third one of this batch was extremely feisty - I thought it just might succeed in pinching me!)

And, believe it or not, after taking my mother home a few hours later, I found a seventh crayfish marching boldly across the road. Heading south like the other six, it too was caught and carried across to the other side of the road.

Why were so many crossing the road? Where were they going? Why all in the same direction? What prompted them to up and leave their homes? I've done a little research since seeing them, and I can find documented incidents of crayfish migrating en masse in streams and waterways, but not crossing roads like these were. And while they do occasionally travel on dry land as they move in search of water and food, they are solitary animals. It's mid summer and not mating season, either, so that can be ruled out.

I think I will call Mary Cutler, the Tippecanoe County Wildlife Specialist, and see what she says.

Celebrating an Anniversary/Remembering a Wedding

Curt and Vanessa went to the St. Louis Temple this weekend to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary. Hearing about it, Sarah asked them to see if they could recreate my favorite picture of her as she and Todd came out of the St. Louis Temple on their wedding day in 1999.

Sarah and Todd, St. Louis, June 19, 1999.

Curt and Vanessa, St. Louis, August 9, 2014

Pretty close!

More on Temples

As I wrote that last entry on temple, I thought it might be nice to document more about the temple and which ones I have attended or are significant to my family.

I have attended as a patron in one capacity or another:

Washington, DC

Chicago (Curt and Vanessa were married here)

St. Louis (Sarah and Todd were married here)

Nauvoo (Cole and Emily were married here)

Louisville

Salt Lake City

Bountiful (Kyle and Ashley were married here)

Mt. Timpanogos

Draper (Jessica and Andrew were married here)

Denver


In addition, we attended the open house or visited the sites of these temples:

Oquirrh Mountain

Kirtland

Independence

Far West

A Temple Going Family

Going to the House of the Lord is important to me. Craig and I married in the Washington, DC Temple (a fourteen hour drive at the time) because we wanted our future family members to enjoy the blessings of the temple.

The Washington, DC Temple at night.

As the years rolled on and the children began arriving, getting to the temple, difficult due to distance already, became more complicated. Still, we made it once a year, and I cherish those times spent with Craig in the Washington Temple.

The, in 1985, the Chicago Temple was dedicated and opened for patrons.

The Chicago Temple.

Much closer, but that traffic!! It was quite a stumbling block for me - this country girl detests Chicago. (I later learned that I was not alone in my dislike of the traffic in getting to the Chicago Temple - to this day it hampers many people's plans to attend.) 

Built on the northwest side of the city in Glenview, you have to endure about an hour of fast-moving, lane changing, toll plagued traffic. Even though it was only two and a half hours from where we lived in Illinois, I attended only once a year or so. Contributing to my infrequent attendance also was raising children, going to school, and the fact that Craig worked most Saturdays due to his Seminaries and Institutes assignments.

Needless to say, when the St. Louis Temple was announced in the late 1990s, it was music to my ears. The question, though, was, would it be our temple district? Or would we remain in the Chicago Temple district?

To my relief, we were switched to St. Louis. The trip was farther, but St. Louis traffic is nothing like Chicago's. Besides, my father was born there and I had always felt a connection to the city and had a comfort level with the traffic there.

President Hinckley had really stepped up temple building, and the goal was to have a temple within 200 miles of every church member. (Currently, 85% are.) Next up was the building of the Nauvoo Temple.

Originally, we were in the Nauvoo Temple district, and so Craig and I were asked to be tour guides for the open house while our other family members served by parking cars for visitors, helping people with the disposable shoes, etc. As tour guides, Craig and I led groups of people through the building, explaining rooms, functions, and answering questions. What a privilege!

And then, at the last minute, our stake was returned to the St. Louis Temple district. While I was disappointed, still, it WASN'T Chicago...

When we returned to Indiana in 2006, we were back in the Chicago Temple district. Once again, my attendance dropped - that traffic has even made me ill (the symbolism of going through "the world" to get to the Lord is not lost on me; nonetheless...)

I tried going to the Louisville Temple in Kentucky instead.

(Anytime I can go to Kentucky, I am THERE!!)

It's a beautiful temple, but its hours are not very flexible, and if you arrive late and miss a session, you have to wait several hours for the next. 

But things are good now because we are getting our own temple in Indianapolis! (Carmel, to be exact.)

It's due to open next year, and is only 67 miles from my home! I already have plans to drive down after school lets out for the day if they host evening sessions.

My goal for 2014 was to attend the temple once a quarter, and I am on track thus far. I went to Chicago in March and June, and then to the Denver Temple in August. One more trip and I will have made my goal. And hopefully, very soon, I will be traveling to Indy instead of Chicago.

Getting Close!

School begins next week so I have been working on getting my classroom put back together after its summer hiatus.

Those notepads are my lists of things still to be done before the kiddos arrive next Wednesday. (I begin Monday and also have an open house that evening.)

Things are looking good - almost ready!

Craig in the Newspaper

Mormon teacher retires after serving more than 35 years

tflores@jconline.com 12:36 p.m. EDT August 8, 2014

(Photo: Photo provided )

Craig Isenbarger’s journey as a teacher of the tenants and history of the Mormon faith has come full circle, landing him in the place where his spiritual voyage initially began more than 40 years ago — Purdue University.

Isenbarger was not really the church-going type, but after exploring several faiths, such as Catholicism or Bahá’í, he converted to Mormonism in 1971 during his freshman year at Purdue. A girl he was dating at the time introduced him to the faith. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he attended a local service with her.

“I felt very comfortable, peaceful and at home, doctrinally and behaviorally,” he said. “They spoke of God as heavenly father. It really just struck me very strongly. That was an interesting concept. I always figured God was a heavenly being far removed … that intrigued me.”

The religion piqued his curiosity. He spent much of his time learning and studying at the LDS Institute of Religion, or its student center, near Purdue’s campus. His time there strengthened his faith and eventually he traded his prior plans of becoming a doctor for the opportunity to teach students the Mormon religion as a full-time instructor.

Isenbarger was initially hired to teach Mormon religion classes at Central Michigan University through the LDS church. After working there two years, he relocated to Champaign, Illinois, where he worked 27 years. He finished his career at Purdue University, serving, mentoring and teaching students for the past eight years.

Although he will continue to be involved as a patriarch in the Lafayette Indiana Stake, he retired June 30 from his position as director of the LDS Institute of Religion near Purdue. He has spent the last month visiting family and will continue to do so during retirement. He also plans to write a family history to pass on the story of his conversion, volunteer with the genealogy department at his church and perhaps serve with his wife Lynn Isenbarger as missionaries for the church.

Longtime friends and co-workers say the kind-spirited, gentle, good-humored man who loves West Lafayette football will be missed greatly, especially his beloved potato cheese soup that he prepared regularly for students, his ability to listen and not judge and his talented way of crafting classroom discussion in a way where students answered their own questions.

“What I really like about him is he generally cares for people,” said Timothy Gibb, a longtime friend and Purdue professor of entomology. “His work here at Purdue has been with students and you can tell he loves students and wants to see them be successful … From my vantage point, it’s refreshing to see those kinds of people.”

In coming back to Purdue, Isenbarger has been able to see the fruit of his spiritual labor. He was instrumental in helping Patrick “Pat” Connolly comes to terms with his new faith back in 1976.

At that time, Connolly was a new freshman and Isenbarger was a few years older. Isenbarger gave Connolly rides to church, answered his questions about the faith and simply became his friend when Connolly barely “knew a soul,” he recalled.

“Craig was a friend,” said Connolly, who is now a Purdue professor of computer graphics technology. “He was able to talk me about questions I had about doctrine (and) what it meant to be a member of the LDS church.”

Isenbarger baptized him that same year. The two parted ways to pursue education and became acquainted once again eight years ago when Isenbarger returned to campus to finish his career at the Institute of Religion near Purdue.

“What a fun reunion,” Connolly said. “I actually saw him walking down the hall on church one Sunday. We picked up like we hadn’t missed a beat … It was like we had never parted. (He was) the same Craig, full of spirit and fun, just a pleasant soul.”

Although Connolly believes Isenbarger has earned his retirement, he said the dedicated religion instructor will be missed.

“He just has that way with the college kids,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to replace (him). He was perfect for what his career was. He’s touched a lot of lives.”