I am so sorry to hear about your lovely Isabella. Everyone who met her loved her.  I remember David and Isabella dancing at Oliver and my wedding. David wore a handsome suit and Isabella wore a beautiful little black cocktail dress.  I remember thinking how bright both of our futures were going to be. Cancer seems to choose the brightest stars. It is up to those who are left behind to keep them shining for them. We are their legacy and their voices in the darkness. May you find peace in your grief. 

- Susanne Giller (Oliver's widow/ Peter & Renate Giller's daughter-in-law)

David and family,

Unfortunately I didn’t know Isabella, but clearly her life journey has positively impacted so many and continues to do so, including me. Just reading about her has been inspiring. I sincerely hope knowing this brings you some comfort and peace in this difficult time.

Deb Fry (NRG)

What an extraordinary human and a force to be reckoned with.  My deepest condolences to you and your family.  Isabella has clearly inspired so many, and her legacy will live on.

-Christie and Mahesh 

I'm so sad that I won't be able to attend the memorial service for Isabella, but I wanted to share a memory that may be especially meaningful to the other Princetonians in her family. I graduated from Princeton in 1982 and only met Isabella in 1987, when we both started at Columbia Law School. We were in the same 1L section. In a final exam in Torts, it became apparent that a large number of students had the exact exam questions and the professor's model answers, in this open book exam where one was allowed to bring in study materials. This was an innocent error on all sides; some of the law journals kept files on old exams and model answers that they made available to other students for study purposes. The elderly professor didn't realize that the exam he had written several years earlier had been retained, and he reused it.

After the exam, Isabella approached me, very upset. She told me that she was one of the students who had the original exam and model answer, and she had not been able to bring herself to use them on her own exam, BECAUSE OF PRINCETON'S HONOR CODE. And she wondered if she had been naive and foolish.

Of course, I immediately told her that NO, she had been honorable and had acted with integrity, and that I admired and applauded her for that. As it turned out, the law school ended up making the class pass/fail for us all, but none of us expected that at the time. Isabella had no way to know that she hadn't given up a competitive advantage.

Beyond her obvious courage and integrity, Isabella was a delightful person in law school, fun and friendly. I moved to Atlanta shortly after we graduated and we lost contact, but I've followed her exploits with interest and concern. What a remarkable human being she was. My warm and sincere condolences to her family.

Dear David,

Sincere condolences to you and your family. Judy and I have so many fond & wonderful memories of our various interactions with Isabella. These cherished memories are truly a blessing to us and to all her friends & loved ones. We will miss Isabella.  May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Judy and Oye Olukotun

To Isabella de la Houssaye* Ultramarathoner, Triathlete, Explorer

A mother, athlete extraordinare,

Across the world, you’ve traveled to compete,

And lead a life unique, special and rare

Running the miles for goals you must complete.

You taught your children how to problem solve,

And helped them to excel in wondrous feats,

On nature’s pinnacles, where with extreme resolve,

They have survived and thrived with no defeats.

Then fate decreed you face your own brave test,

Which with the greatest will you must comply,

With every challenge, there’s an Everest,

And what you taught, you now must self-apply.      

      Your confident soul, a glorious shield,      

      That shows those who love you, you’ll never yield.

February 2, 2018 by Susie Wilson

Written for my dear friend Isabella on her birthday shortly after she learned about her diagnosis.