Isla D. Drinkwalter, 87

Isla Dawn (Hamit) Drinkwalter was born December 11, 1933 in Cody to Wallace and Isabell Hamit. She died November 15, 2021 in Cody at the age of 87. Isla loved her family and drew strength from her faith in God.

Isla grew up in the Kilgore area and attended school in Kilgore. She attended college at Chadron Normal School and taught school on the Niobrara River south of Kilgore . She met George Drinkwalter in January 1953 and they were married August 22, 1953. They were married 58 years and in this time they had four boys, Darrell, Keith, Randy, and Steve.

Isla grew up in a family of nine. Her brother Larry says the kids would not have survived had it not been for Isla. She managed the kids and house while their mother helped with the ranch work.

Isla was a strong Sandhills ranch wife and mother. Her favorite time of year was spring calving time. She was proud of the work she and George did together to run the ranch south of Kilgore, along the Niobrara River, for 33 years. There was a cellar under the house where she kept her canned goods from the garden. On one occasion she matter of fact stated that she had gone to the cellar and there was a live rattlesnake laying among the pickles!!

George and Isla were avid sports fans of Cody-Kilgore Schools. They never missed a game the boys were playing in. More extraordinary was that they continued to attend after the boys graduated. They followed football, volleyball, and basketball. They had a 40 minute drive each time. Isla then continued to attend after George’s passing. She had a particular parking spot at the football field where she watched the games from.

She kept her window rolled down and young folks from the community stopped by for short visits. Isla was a great cook. She always made homemade chicken and noodles for branding dinner. She made the noodles themselves from scratch! She was also famous for her homemade cinnamon rolls. A favorite thing of the grandkids.

Isla valued education, especially reading. After the boys left home she took a job as the librarian for the elementary school. She was not just the lady who checked out books. She took time to find just the right book for kiddos and spent extra hours helping students after school who struggled with reading. She was an avid reader herself. Her favorite author was Danielle Steele and recently CJ Box.

The Niobrara River community was close knit. One of Isla’s favorite things about the community was the quilting club. The ladies got together once a month to gather around a quilting frame and quilt something one of them had started. They created many!

In recent years, a group started meeting on Wednesdays to play the dice game farkel. Isla loved the kinship and competition. Her nickname among the group was Fancy. She came to the games with nails painted, lipstick on, and jewelry adorned. Not in a vain or conceited way, but with the mindset that if you are going out you should take the time to look your best!!

Isla was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary at Cody and attended Sunday services at the United Methodist Church. To date she was still volunteering to help at and provide food for activities sponsored by both organizations.

Isla’s best days were those when family stopped by for a visit and took time for some of her great cooking. It didn’t matter if you called ahead or just dropped by, you never left hungry. In fact, you left with some kind of great treat to take with you!

Isla was preceded in death by; her parents: Wallace and Isabell (Miles) Hamit, husband, George Drinkwalter, great granddaughter,Mckenzie, sister, Judy Crawford and brothers, David Hamit, Raymond Hamit, and Nick Hamit.

She is survived by her sons, Darrell (Donna) of Casper WY, Keith (Linda) of Sundance, WY, Randy of Cody, Steve of Casper WY, brother, Larry Hamit of Leeton MO, sisters, Carol Rodriguez of Victorville CA, Barbara Helmick of St. John KS, Linda Ehlers of Lincoln, Polly Burfiend of Sheridan WY, eight grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren.

The funeral service for Isla was held on Friday, November 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. CT at the United Methodist Church in Valentine. Burial was at Prairie Lawn Cemetery in Cody.