Isabel "Izzy" Melin, 89, of Thief River Falls, MN died on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at the Thief River Care Center in Thief River Falls, MN. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, April 13, 2012 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN with Rev. Mark Helgeland officiating. Burial will follow at the Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will also be held for one hour prior to the funeral service at the church. Isabel Pauline Weiss was born on the family farm in Red Lake Falls Township on October 28, 1922 the eighth of thirteen children born to Henry and Ida (Henrichs) Weiss. She was baptized and confirmed at Wylie Lutheran Church. She attended District 63 in Red Lake County, MN. Isabel worked out for area farm families and neighbors. Isabel was lovingly known as "Izzy throughout her life. Isabel met her future husband, Carl Leonard Melin at a picnic at Wylie Lutheran Church. On June 5, 1939, Isabel was united in marriage to Leonard at Wylie Lutheran Church. The couple farmed in Polk Centre Township, Pennington County until 1974 when they moved to rural Thief River Falls. To this union two children raised, Tom and Shelly. Isabel was involved in all aspects of the farming operation; they raised small grains, dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep. In the mid-1960's, Izzy and Leonard began a hen laying operation with 1600 hens. They remodeled the loft area of the barn for the hens and on the main floor the processing and refrigeration area was known as "Izzy's Office". Izzy was a very hospitable person; she was a great cook as all of her neighbors and friends knew. Izzy would haul all of the meals out to the fields for the men and she had a kitchen that was always open. She wouldn't let anybody go away without eating. Izzy enjoyed many crafts, vegetable and flower gardening, watching baseball and hockey on TV, ceramics, sewing, fishing at Lake Of The Woods, playing cards, and in their early years, Leonard and Izzy spent many nights square dancing. The couple traveled extensively throughout North America. They sold the farm in 1974 and moved into Thief River Falls and started the "Sawdust Parlor". It was a woodworking shop in which Leonard made the pieces and Izzy would do all of the detail work. They would sell these items out of their home and at craft shows. She was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Summerfield Red-Hatters, Garden Club, served on the Pennington County Extension Committee, was an active 4-H leader, won the Valley Farmer and Homemaker Award at the Red River Valley Show in 1974, and hosted a 4-H foreign exchange student, IFYE, from Switzerland in 1968. Izzy and Leonard moved into Summerfield Apartments in August of 2000, Leonard died on January 23, 2002 and Izzy continued to live at Summerfield until March of 2012 when she moved to the Thief River Care Center. Survivors include her son, Tom Melin and his wife Val of Ada, MN; her daughter, Shelly McFarlane and her husband, Kirby of Thief River Falls, MN; grandchildren, Jason (Laura) Melin, Tracy (special friend, Chris Olson) Olson, Tara (special friend, Ryan Knutson) Melin, Natalie (Steve) Pris and Kyla McFarlane; great-grandchildren, Hannah, Olivia, Ella, Alexander, Dominick Jordan, Tanner, Paizleigh; siblings, Lillian Berry, Marvel Klein, Willard (LuAnn) Weiss; and many other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Leonard; parents; siblings, George, August, Henry Jr., Raymond, Leora Audette, Richard, Viola Iverson, Pauline Cooper and Helen Schmitz.