A Street Well Named.
“Isabel Garden Lane,” is a street in the Reeves Way neighbourhood. I was curious as to who she was and her part in Stouffville’s history.
Isabel was born to Mr. A. E. Booth and his wife Leila (Brownell) they owned the farm just south of Stouffville School (now Summitview). Isabel was born in March, 1910. She had an older brother Winston and a younger sister Elizabeth.
Mr. A. E. Booth served several terms on the Stouffville School Board. He was also a charter member of the Stouffville Lions Club. The family was connected to the United Church in Stouffville.
The Booth family moved to Stouffville in 1918. The farm was down “College Lane” a street that ran past the school to the lands behind. The farm was 28 acres in total. Isabel would have attended the new school after the fire. She would have attended the Continuation (high) school here as well as they were both in the same building. Her teacher in 1920 was Miss Nellie Nichols. Isabel was listed as the top student. In her junior third year, she had Miss Huxtable and again achieved top marks.
Dr. Isabel Booth attended the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Medicine in 1937, she passed her fourth year. In June of 1939, Isabel graduated with honours. She also won the Silver Medal for her Faculty.
Dr. Booth started her practice in St. Catharines under the direction of a prominent child specialist in medical practice.
In the summer of 1940, Dr. Isabel Booth accompanied a patient from Algonquin Park to Toronto by airplane passing over Stouffville on the way. She was rushing a young female patient to Toronto for an appendix operation. Some questions come to mind, first what type of airplane did they use. Secondly, where did they land the airplane in Toronto? Some have suggested the Island Airport.
Dr. Isabel Booth became a specialist in pediatric medicine in 1947. It is thought that Dr. Booth was working at Sick Kids Hospital.
One family was very thankful for her dedication to children. The thoughts shared said, “Dr. Booth was so wonderful taking care of my three children from infancy. Dr. Booth saved my son’s life from an intestinal problem at birth. The Doctor will always be remembered with love.”
Dr. Isabel Booth passed away on April 5, 1981 and was laid to rest in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. Her parents were previously interred in the same cemetery.
Photo: Isabel Booth photo from her school yearbook. Source of photo is University of Toronto yearbook 1939, graduating year.
She was a remarkable, caring Doctor. My mother took me to her at a Toronto clinic when I was 6 months old and my brother was 2-1/2 years old. My grandmother was to hold on to my brother John while I was in to see the doctor but she let him go. He had severe tonsillitis and no-one had diagnosed him. She knew what was wrong with him immediately and told my mother. My mother responded with a fist full of receipts for doctors bills and told her if she could tell my mother what was wrong she was a whole lot better than the other doctors! She checked my brother immediately and showed my mother what was wrong and probably saved my brother’s life. His liver was affected for a couple of years afterwards but with the tonsillectomy she had done he survived. He celebrated his 80th birthday in October 2022. She also diagnosed me with spinal meningitis in 1946 and saved my life. She was an amazing and caring doctor. I even took my children to her till she died.