Following are remembrances of the late Ike Isakson from members of his family, and the wider community, that were shared with the PRT in January.
A 75-minute video of the Jan. 17 public memorial service for Ike is available for streaming on PVFR’s Facebook page here.
Devina Schreiber
I am one of the lucky ones, Ike chose my family to love and hold dear. The blessing to be his daughter has always been the most cherished. The love my mom and him shared is something I’ve only seen in movies outside of their bond.
Before he came into our lives, we experienced life, not this country. He took us cross country on a road trip, to sites I’d never believed I’d see. Countless fishing excursions, San Diego, all around the southwest, even on a casino trip. (Aarron and I may or may not got them in trouble at a casino, haha.) One thing that still makes me laugh is he always told me to “put a shirt on under that.” He made sure I dressed age appropriately, however I still heard that in my 30s.
Ike’s love for this community was unconditional. When things got tight with coverage, he stayed for duty. Duty always called. One time I caught my finger in bike chains and insisted he call the helicopter. I mean, it was Ike, he saved the world and would save my finger lol. Needless to say it was a little boo boo and asking for the helicopter was me being dramatic, even so, he will forever be my hero.
I love you Ike, with my soul. You run through my blood and I’m blessed to be apart of you.
– Your loving daughter, Devina Schreiber, until we meet again….
Diana Assenmacher
My folks retired to Patagonia in 1994 and over the years I would often hear stories about Ike and Diane. My mother so enjoyed the yard sale that the Fire Department held and we would often go to browse through the offerings but what she enjoyed even more was the socializing that would be a part of the experience. Towards the end of her life, I would often get calls about medical issues as they came up and my father would always say “it’s ok, we’ve called Ike” which gave me comfort knowing that they had the support right there in town that they needed until an ambulance could arrive from Sonoita. I experienced that myself when my father had an incident and it was my turn to call Ike. He and Diane showed up promptly and arrived with that steady calm that I had always heard about.
After the Ike’s memorial service on Saturday, the first thing that my father said to me when we were driving away was how much Ike meant to him and my mother. Ike was a man who was truly committed to service and his community and he will be greatly missed by many.
Eric
When I first joined up I headed out on a non-emergency scouting trip with the Chief. I got the truck ready and presumed to drive, as I do. Well, Ike rolls up and the expression etched into a Chief’s face screamed, who the heck is this new guy. No words needed, I shifted over to shotgun and knew immediately I liked this fella, understood him. My many rides to fire and mostly medical calls, and time hanging out, with Ike began. I even drove him…once. Ike was a quintessential leader by doing. No fluff, no nonsense…just react and do the job. He had a grandfather’s empathy for every patient I worked with him. His commitment to Patagonia, the Department, and his family was ultimate. I value the time we shared on each our journeys. I’ll continue to see him up and down Patagonia’s streets perpetually, watching out for all of us.
Denise Bowdon
There are so many memories through the 26 years of our friendship, it is hard to choose. I will always remember all the fun times and laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. It was always a challenge to beat Ike at cards or marbles. I learned a lot from Ike when I became an EMT. He was always calm, no matter the call. Ike always had my back. The best memory I have is how he looked after my daughter, Madison. She couldn’t say “Ike” it came out “Ki,” and that’s his forever name. Thank you for being there through the years and all the fun we had!
Michele Turner
I heard a story at a graduation once, it never made a lot of sense to me until now…
Everyone had two important dates that surround them, their date of birth, and their date of death. The thing that separates those dates is a little line called a dash. What you do with that dash is what matters the most.
I knew Ike as a serious man: we went to EMT classes, partnered up quite a bit, and learned a lot together. Once we finished classes, I joined the department, worked alongside him for many years, went to multiple trainings in Laughlin, BTLS on the river, got ourselves in a few stick situations where Diane was ready to go in the getaway vehicle, yikes. We talked my husband into joining the department, fought fires together, and became great friends. We worked together with the Marlboro men on one of their last sets of commercials, joined a bowling team, and started game nights where we made marble boards, sequence boards, and learned crazy rummy, along with some wild game klugenflur, cards and marbles combined! We had some crazy times together!
Ike was serious when he had to be, fun when he wanted be, and a great friend to everyone he met. Ike know that he had to give his all, he knew what the dash between those dates meant. It meant that he was here to leave his mark. He had to have known early on that he was here to make a difference, that he was going to leave an impression on everyone he greeted, that he was going to help make the lives of others better.
Ike was the dash between his dates. He leaves so many people with good, special memories. He leaves us knowing how to live a full and happy life. He leaves us knowing that his dash made a huge difference in all our lives! You will be missed deeply my friend! Thank you for your dedication, support, and love for your family, your friends, and your community.
Zay Hartigan, Fire Chief 458, Patagonia Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Ike’s service brought him joy, and the many ways he served his community were a focus of his memorial activities including songs and internet posts. Another of his joys was overlooked in the remembrances I saw and heard, and that was dancing. He loved to dance. He even taught dance for a while. Because I don’t get out much, the only times I saw him dance were at the Steak Frys, and the Firefighters Balls we had at the firehouse. I still can see he and Dianne dolled up and dancing at the ball back in 04 or 05. How gracefully and smoothly they moved, and how they could dance to anything. Both of them so happy, and so in love, it was as if they were floating, not even touching the floor. Of all the places I went with Ike, of all the things we did, it’s that image that will always stick out most in my mind.
Cynie & Joel Murray
I was always glad to see Ike. However, there were times when I was relieved to see Ike. And in those times, he would lock eyes with me from across the way, and I knew everything would be ok—because Ike was there.
Jeff Maxwell
Ike was a great mentor to me. I was a hazmat, industrial firefighter. Not a lot of that here in Patagonia. But there was a place for me here with C.E.R.T., as well as the Firewise program. Patagonia Fire making me a member was a gift I will always treasure. And Ike will always be my Chief. Rest Easy 477
