‘An indomitable spirit’: obituary of Isobel Hirst who died aged 102
Isobel Hirst /Terry/Wall: June 7, 1920 -April 1, 2023.
Isobel was born in Gowan Brae to Agnes and Allan Wall. They had come to Oban on work placements as a nurse and dentist respectively and never left.
As a child Isobel, with her sister Alena, loved playing in the local woods around Oban and on the sea shore where she had total freedom.
She remembered sitting, as a little girl, for the painting that hangs in the stairwell of Oban Municipal Building.
Isobel’s father was a founder member of the Oban Antiquarian Society and she inherited his passion for history and the natural sciences. She would happily recount her recollections (some of which are held in the Oban Museum archives) as a child with her father, on dentistry visits to the islands of the inner and outer Hebrides; the magnificent sight of the “J Class” and other large yachts assembling in Oban Bay for West Highland Week; witnessing the moving sight of the evacuees from St Kilda arriving in Oban in 1930; of climbing her favourite Battleship Hill to see the build-up of convoy ships in the Sound of Mull before running the gauntlet across to America.
Isobel was very bright. She won the Dux medal at Oban High School in 1937 and consequently went to Glasgow University to study natural sciences, English and maths. She was at university during the Clydebank Blitz during which time she had a number of narrow escapes.
Isobel soon returned to Argyll to teach science, English and maths in Kinlochleven and Oban High Schools. She had lots of energy and also enjoyed teaching Scottish country dancing and leading girl guide expeditions up Cruachan.
In 1944 she married a young RAF pilot Ken Terry, who was tragically killed six months later. Loss was ever present at that time but Isobel’s generation had an indomitable spirit.
A few years later she met Cecil Hirst. It was love at first sight and they were married in 1948. They lived very happily, bringing up their four children until sadly, in 1984, Isobel lost Cecil to cancer. They adored each other and she missed him to the end of her life.
Gardening was a passion throughout her life. She had “green fingers” and was never happier than when she was in the flower bed pulling out weeds or coaxing an unassuming twig into becoming a thriving plant.
She was a wonderful granny to her eight grandchildren, loved the outdoors, reading, history, poetry and music, particularly singing traditional songs. During the Covid lockdown she celebrated her 100th birthday and danced outdoors while a piper played.
Isobel was loving, kind, fun and generous. She was strong, independent and determined her whole life. She put it down to “nothing but dirty pride”, but this indomitable spirit contributed to her reaching the impressive age of 102.
She remained active and enjoying life till she passed away peacefully on April 1, 2023. Her ashes will be interred in the family plot in Oban.
She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.