Isabelle was born Elna Isabelle Doyle on May 28, 1934 in Cainsville, MO to Clara Gertrude (Stoner) Doyle and James E. “Jimmy” Doyle. She was welcomed into her heavenly home on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
When she was born, the doctor told her parents about news of the birth of 5 baby girls born that very morning to a woman in Ontario, Canada. The Dionne quintuplets, identical girls, were the first known to have survived infancy. Isabelle always thought that made her pretty special.
Her early years were molded by her bonds with the First Baptist Church of Cainsville and the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. As a young wife and mother, Isabelle attended The Mitchellville Church and Prairie Chapel. Although she called a number of churches home throughout the years, these are the churches that grew her into a young woman, wife and mother.
Isabelle attended school in Cainsville before moving to Mt. Moriah, MO where she graduated high school in 1952.
After graduation, she moved to Kansas City where she took a job with Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. Isabelle has lived most of her life in the St. Joseph / Kansas City areas except for a few years each, in California and Ormond Beach, FL.
In September 1953, Isabelle married Jack Toombs in Bethany, MO. From this union 4 children were born; Robert Doyle, Brenda Jean, William Jack and Mary Beth.
In May 1967, Isabelle married Virgil Ward in Elwood, KS. From this union 2 children were born; Virginia Fae (Ginger) and Vincent Frank.
In the 1970’s she worked at the Thompson, Brumm, and Knepper Clinic as the Executive Secretary to Mr. Thompson, the Administrator but spent most of her professional life in the Insurance field. Isabelle was an Insurance Adjuster for 30 years retiring from La Petite Corporate Office in Overland Park, KS in 1998 and from State Farm Insurance in 2004. Following her official retirement, she continued to work part-time at The Center in St. Joseph and was an active volunteer.
She has been active in many organizations including the Insurance Women of Northwest Missouri, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, American Business Women’s Association, Legal Secretaries Association, The National Association for Female Executives and the Kansas City Pilot’s Association.
In 2015, Isabelle moved to The Falls in Ormond Beach, FL to be near her friend of over 50 years, Waynette Watterson. In 2017, with the forecast of Hurricane Irma approaching, Isabelle returned to Missouri and settled in Smithville near family.
In November 2023, Isabelle moved back home to Cainsville where she lived until February 4th, 2025 when she made her final move to The Crestview Home in Bethany, MO.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jimmy and Gertude Doyle; husbands, Jack Toombs, Virgil Ward, Russell Steinmetz, and Bill Graves; sons, Robert Doyle “Bob” Toombs and Vincent Frank Ward; sister, Mary Elizabeth (Doyle)Turek; and brother, James Richard Doyle.
She is survived by: daughter, Brenda (Kem) Hines, St. Joseph, son, William “Bill” Toombs, St. Joseph, daughter, Mary Beth (Terry) Moody, Cullman, AL, daughter, Virginia “Ginger” Humphrey, Cainsville, MO; daughters-in-law, Kathleen Craven (the late Robert Toombs), La Canada-Flintridge, CA and Patricia Ward (the late Frank), Smithville, MO; 19 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandsons; nieces, Patricia Flaten, Jane Peters and Bette Turek; and numerous good friends.
Mrs. Graves has been cremated under the care of Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel. Farewell Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, August 9, 2025, Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel. The family will gather with friends for visitation one hour prior to the service. At 3:00 P.M. a short graveside service will be held at the Zoar Cemetery in Cainsville followed by Inurnment.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Isabelle’s name to Wyatt Park Christian Church, 2623 Mitchell Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64507, the First Baptist Church C/O Barb Crawley, P.O. Box 165, Cainsville, MO 64632, or the Zoar Cemetery C/O Terri Francis, 105 Akron Rd., Cainsville, MO 64632.
