ISABEL ANDERSON KONRADI
1932-2018
Isabel Anderson Konradi, resident of El Lago, TX since 1970, passed away peacefully on July 25, 2018, in the presence of her daughters Marianna and Melanie. Isabel also is survived by her daughter Amanda, and her sons Vadim and Andrei W., and her seven grandchildren. Isabel was born on May 22, 1932, in Rochester, NY, to Thesa and William Anderson, the second of four children: Thomas, Isabel, Hugh, and Janet. In 1954, Isabel earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. As a young woman, Isabel drew portraits on the streets of New York City, and she threw pottery in her studio in Rochester. Always a perfectionist, Isabel terminated pottery that cracked in her kiln by shooting these items with a pistol. On June 8, 1957, Isabel married Andrei Konradi in Rochester, NY, wearing a dress she designed and sewed herself. Isabel and Andrei raised their family in Lanham, MD and El Lago, TX. Throughout her life, Isabel distinguished herself with her artistry, confidence, candor, thrift, and environmentalism. Isabel loved creative arts and loud family dinners. Isabel despised coloring books and junk food. Isabel taught children’s pottery and art classes, and she supervised the printing of hundreds of El Lago Dorados swim team T-shirts, using a logo and silkscreen that she made herself. An “El Lago City Hall” sign that Isabel hand-lettered hung at city hall for many years. Isabel hunted for wild mushrooms with the Houston Mycological Society, and she ensured that all figs, okra, bok choi, and eggplant that grew in her garden were consumed, either fresh or canned. After her husband Andrei passed, and when she already was in her 70s, Isabel taught herself Russian to converse with Andrei’s relatives and to travel in Russia. Isabel was Tax Assessor-Collector for the City of El Lago for 35 years, and more briefly for WCID #50. Isabel was an advocate of voter registration, and she served as an election judge. Isabel promoted musical education with the Houston Symphony League Bay Area, and she enjoyed sharing literary interpretations and food with her Great Books group. Isabel was one-of-a-kind, tenacious, and optimistic to the end. A memorial service for Isabel will be held at 1:30 PM on Oct. 20 in the Event Room at El Lago City Hall. Interested persons may email awkonradi@yahoo.com for more details.