St. George, Utah - Isolde Mathilde Härtl Dellenbach was born on Christmas Day in 1931 to her parents, Gregor Härtl and Therese Berger Härtl, in Munich, Germany. She was the second of three daughters. She left this earthly state on June 30, 2020 peacefully in her home surrounded by her family. She was 88 years old.

Although Isolde grew up during wartime Germany, she did have happy moments with her family – riding bicycles to Starnberg Lake near their home in Munich, swimming in the Isar River, and spending summer days with cousins in her grandmother's hometown of Vilshofen.

While in elementary school, Isolde and her younger sister, Roswitha were evacuated from Munich. The two sisters were sent with other school children to the mountain resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to avoid the bombings in the city. Before the war ended, the two sisters returned home to Munich and were reunited with their family. Isolde and her family were so grateful when the Allied forces entered Munich.

As a young teenager, Isolde was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by her school friend, Lola Förstl. Isolde was inspired by the same scripture as the prophet Joseph Smith – James 1:5 - to seek wisdom and truth. Lola left Germany in 1950 to immigrate to the United States and encouraged Isolde to read the Book of Mormon. Isolde began studying the gospel of Jesus Christ and attended church at the local branch in Munich. At church, she met her future husband, Frederick Herman Dellenbach who had come to Munich to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Fred baptized Isolde in February of 1953.

In October 1953, Isolde immigrated to the United States and she and Fred were married in the Mesa Temple on February 27, 1954. In the course of their married life, she worked full time for General Telephone Company for 21 years. Isolde and Fred raised six children who fulfilled missions in Canada, New York, South Carolina, Japan and Georgia, with three children serving at the same time. They raised their children in Norwalk and Norco, California. The family remembers fondly their vacations to the New York World's Fair and Church History sites in 1965 and then around the United States again to Civil War history sites and our nation's capital in a 1973 VW Bus, camping each night along the way. Isolde disliked camping, but loved making memories with her family. As her children married, she loved each new addition to her family.

After 38 years of marriage, Isolde lost Fred, the love of her life. Two years later, Isolde was called to serve in the Switzerland Zürich Mission where she was trained in family history and name extraction. Over the course of her mission, she extracted over 128,000 names. After her mission, searching for ancestors and participating in temple work became her life's calling. Isolde shared her love of genealogy with her family, and found her dearest friends as she helped them find thousands and thousands of their ancestors.

Isolde moved in her retirement to St. George, Utah, describing herself as a "poor, retired, returned-missionary, widow." It was her desire to live near a temple and was her privilege to serve as an ordinance worker in the St. George Temple. She had a testimony of the importance of this sacred work.

She enjoyed sewing, knitting, crocheting, listening to classical music, and of course, doing family history and temple work. She served in various church callings throughout her life. When recently asked by a grandchild what brought her the greatest joy in life, she answered "Marrying and having a family with your grandpa, joining the church, and becoming an American citizen."

Isolde Dellenbach - beloved mother "Liebe Mutter", sister, "Suli", "Granny", "Omi", and friend - is survived by her children: Gregor (Barbara) Dellenbach, Karin (Gary) McGee, Drew (Chris) Dellenbach, Alita (Curtis) Watkins, Ted Dellenbach, and Adriana (Rob) Turner, 22 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and her dear sister Liselotte "Lilo" Schiel. She will be missed. Hers was a life well lived, well served and well loved.

A visitation will be held Friday, July 3, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 West St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah.

Graveside services will be held Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park in Riverside, California.