Carol M. Isfeld of Courtenay, B.C.,
recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division), the Queen's Jubilee
Medal, the Memorial Cross and National Silver Cross Mother for 2000, died
suddenly on Aug. 15 2007 at age 67.
Carol is remembered for her contribution to Canada and worldwide humanitarian
causes through her initiation of the "Izzy Doll," which she continued to crochet
after her son, Master Cpl. Mark Isfeld, was killed in 1994 while removing
landmines during his third tour of UN duty in Croatia.
Just as Mark came to symbolize the humanitarian efforts of Canadian soldiers
in the Balkans who gave their lives to help others, so Carol became a symbol
for all families who lost a loved one in the service of their country. Of
course, my view is coloured by the 48 years I spent at the side of this gentle
and unassuming person, and by the 32 years that Mark was my son, embodying
the qualities and values that make Canadian soldiers special and their parents
proud.
My admiration and love for both is undiminished. I take comfort, as Carol
did, in what became known as the "Izzy Dolls," which she started after our
son wrote home during his first tour in the Balkans, and sent a photo of a
doll amid the rubble of a building. Mark, like many soldiers, used to distribute
comfort items to the afflicted -- slippers, mittens, candy, etc. Of this doll
on the rubble, he wrote: "A little doll has lost her girl -- a little girl
has lost her doll." One look at the picture and Carol knew what she had to
do -- make these little dolls, crochet them, which easily fit in a soldier's
tunic and could be distributed to children who have nothing.
Slowly the idea caught on, as news stories remarked on her program. When Mark
was killed while removing a landmine, the pace increased. Hundreds of women
with time on their hands -- mostly elderly and most of them mothers -- began
making these "Izzy Dolls" to send to soldiers for distribution to kids. Ihave
watched those who've become involved in Carol's brainchild regain interest,
energy and enthusiasm to help others -- a rebirth of energy. Something to
gladden the hearts of children in war-ravaged lands and to revive hope and
optimism in mothers who have lost sons on these missions.
Our pride in Mark has never flagged. He chose Combat Engineers and as his
service and experience deepened, so did his realization that while frightfully
dangerous, removing landmines was critical in saving civilian lives. And he
was very, very good at it -- never careless or reckless. There is irony in
his death, since he was the featured soldier in a TV documentary being filmed
about the lethal job of removing mines. The Price Of Duty, the documentary
by Garth Pritchard of Calgary, won a variety of awards for excellence, and
became a sort of living memorial to Mark and his comrades in Combat Engineers,
who daily risk their lives.
It's true that making "Izzy Dolls" helped Carol (and me) deal with the pain
of losing our son. But neither Carol nor I expected the rush of enthusiasm
that greeted -- and still greets -- the project. Unexpectedly for Carol, the
Izzy Doll phenomenon led to her rubbing shoulders with public figures. She
never realized they were as much in awe of her as she was of them. She met
Paul McCartney, who identified with her project. She dined with governor generals
and met with senior politicians. She received letters of support from Diana,
Princess of Wales, and Queen Noor of Jordan. She received the gratitude and
admiration of senior military officers.
Through it all, she never aspired to be anything other than "mom" to those
who loved her, and always thought of others before herself. It was immensely
satisfying when the organization, International Community for the Relief of
Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS) Canada, chose the "Izzy Doll" as their icon,
making thousands of these dolls to be used to pack fragile medical supplies
destined for the poorest of the poor in poor countries around the world.
Carol's legacy will live on thanks to Shirley O'Connell of Perth, who has
consented to become the new "Izzy Doll Mama" to carry on the tradition. Carol
and Mark are now gone -- yet their legacy remains. It's been said that some
people take a lifetime to impress us with their deeds and actions, while others
impress us in an instant for a lifetime. Carol falls into this latter category.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, at 1:30 p.m., Carol's life and contribution to Canada
and children of the world will be celebrated near her home in B.C.'s Comox
Valley, at the school named after our son, Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School,
1551 Leswick Rd,, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 9B5. Everyone is welcome. Donations
in lieu of flowers in Carol Isfeld's name would be appreciated to the following:
Canadian Landmine Foundation, a partner in the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign,
1623 Yonge St., Toronto, M4T 2A1 (canadianlandmine.org), or ICROSS Canada,
P.O. Box 3, Saanichton, B.C., V8M 2C3 (icross.ca).
Brian Isfeld, September 2007