Just found out the saddest news that my ISB -International School Bangkok’s (Isb Alum ISB International School Bangkok) 1st grade elementary school teacher Mrs. Wendy Thompson Shearer passed away from cancer…found out she was battling with cancer for 4 years. Now she is in peace.
She was very lovely and caring. Remember seeing her at my ISB high-school graduation Sending blessings and love to Mrs. Shearer’s entire family!! She will always be in my heart and memories.
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Carolyn ‘Kaki’ Jennings passed away last week in Honolulu, Hawaii at the age of 80. She was a high school counsellor from 1969 – 1973 at ISB. She is survived by her daughter Kristen Jennings Graff. There will be a Life Celebration event at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on 18 February.
Her bright personality and enthusiasm in helping others will be sorely missed. My three years in Bangkok was solely due to Kaki’s support and encouragement as her brother-in-law which created my life path.
Dear ISB community, I wanted to let you know that my mother, Anita Mukand, has passed away last November. My mother taught 4th and 6th grade at ISB for decades. She loved teaching and poured her heart into her classroom. She was also passionate about ISB as a school and teaching community.
OBITUARY Anita S Mukand August 8, 1944 – November 14, 2023
Anita S Mukand, age 79, of Evanston, Illinois passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
A memorial service for Anita was held on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 10:30 AM at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 1140 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in memory of Anita to Family Focus After School Program, attn: Joann Avery, Manager of Youth Development Program, 2010 Dewey Ave, Evanston, IL 60201, https://www.family-focus.org/donate/
Over the years at ISB
A few comments from ISB students and colleagues.
Philip Saluja Suradejvibul I’m so sorry Rohini, please accept my sincere condolences.
James F. Westgate One of my favorite colleagues and such a good friend—–I miss her too!
Eric William McAnallen She was my Fourth Grade teacher. I remember her so fondly; as one of my favorite teachers in elementary school. XOXOX
Eleanor Jones Oh, what fun we had together at ISB. Warm and wonderful shared memories. She’s forever in my heart.
Jamee Perl Berger Parker Sorry for your loss! She touched many lives in her career!
Anat Alfi I am so sorry for your loss. She was one of the most special teachers that I had through-out the years and I have excellent memories of her. Condolences to the family
Scott Pruden She taught me in 4th Grade.
Jaynie Britton So sorry to learn this. Please accept my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy on the loss of your mother. She changed a lot of lives through her teaching. May she Rest in Peace.
Virginoa Meier Was a great friend. Sorry to learn of her passing Some great memories of her
Anh Luu Eckrosh I’m so sorry for your loss, my friend. I remember I had Mrs. Mukand in 4th grade at the Bangsue campus. She was a great teacher!
Kim Hollingsworth Anderson Awwww, I loved Mrs Mukand! She was a great teacher, so sorry for your loss!
James Perry A close friend and teaching partner in 4th grade in 1977. She was quiet, beautiful, and such a good teacher. Always the student’s favorite.
Rob Larson My condolences Rohini Mukand. I remember her fondly since I attended ISB for 4th and 6th grade. She was a remarkable woman and truly a gift to all she touched.
Rohini Mukand Author
Thank you so much for all your kind comments and thoughts. I used to read my FB posts and comments to my mother (she didn’t want an account!) and she loved that all these ISB connections were happening across the years and miles! Thank you for remembering her. Much love to you. ❤️
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Teachers like Harry are hero’s (or is that heros). Harry was my Calculus teacher in my Senior year at the old campus on soi 15 (1978-79). He convinced me to keep going when I was just about ready to give up and drop out of the class. I couldn’t understand Calculus, but with his help, it finally clicked in my brain. I got a B at the end of the semester. Thank you Harry!
Mrs. Marie Matheny was a chemistry teacher at ISB. She passed on in 2011. I became a Chemical Engineer because of her influence. I had reconnected with her in 2009. I would call her every 3-4 months. Ironically, I called one Monday morning and her son answered. She had a massive stroke the night before and died. Following is her obituary.
Matheny, Marie S. – Born October 26, 1926, passed away suddenly on July 10, 2011 of a massive stroke.
Born and raised in Ohio, Marie was the first in her family to attend college, the first woman in her college to graduate with a chemistry degree and the first woman chemist at Sylvania in the ‘50’s. Scientist she was, going on to teach science, math and chemistry, she was also an astrologer with an avid interest in people and their stories.
Married for 63 years to Raymond Matheny, they began as pen pals during WWII and traveled the world together, following Ray’s career from Ohio to Montana, to Oregon, to California, to Thailand to Ethiopia to Hawaii to Virginia to Maryland, and returning to California. In each place they called home, Marie taught the sciences and ended her career as the Chemistry Lab Manager for American University in Washington, D.C. Retired for almost 20 years.
Marie was always busy with her projects, crocheting, studying astrology, organizing a lifetime of slides, listening to audio books, and making friends with all she came in contact with. She became the caretaker for her husband, Ray who became blind in 2006.
She was very close to and proud of her children and their families: Dawn Matheny (daughter) and Milton Woolley, (grandchildren Tara and Peter, and their father Dr. Ron Schuster); Dr. Theo Matheny (son) and Ellen from Washington state; and Jim Matheny (son) and Yvonne from Kentucky.
Because of her fierce, loving, inquisitive spirit, her indomitable will and strength, her warm, nurturing and supportive self, she leaves a hole in the hearts of all who knew her.
A service honoring and celebrating her life was held on Sunday, July 17 2011 at 2:00 pm at Daniels Chapel of the Roses on 1225 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa. All who knew her were invited.
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Lovingly written and submitted by her son Eric Woodard ISB Class of 1991
Tribute With the complete sadness of my entire heart for the coming days we will miss her on this earth, but joy and gratitude for the eternity that will be ours to share with her by God’s grace, I (Eric Woodard) must announce that my dear sweet momma Dixie Woodard has been called to the almighty loving glory of heaven’s host (September 17, 2021).
Besides myself my momma is survived by her husband and partner in life through 51 years of thick and thin John Woodard. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law and my wife Keri Woodard, who she loved so much. Perhaps dearest to her heart, she is also survived by our four children – her grandchildren: Fletcher, Piper, Deacon, and Jasper.
Dr. Dixie Racheal Woodard was born on August 22, 1943 in Kansas City, MO to her loving parents George and Vernelle Wilson. Arriving 13+ years after her older siblings Jerry, Marjorie, and Shirley, my momma was the baby of her family. Shortly after she was born her family moved to the family farm in Keytesville, MO where she grew up among cows and pigs and chickens and goats and sheep. This is where she learned how to grow anything.
After graduating from Keytesville High School in 1961 she and her parents moved to Marshall, MO where she attended Missouri Valley College. Marshall would become the unifying place for her early life. It was from there that she taught in various schools in Texas, Kentucky, and all across Missouri. During this time she earned her Masters from Central Missouri State University in 1968 and married my father John Woodard on June 6, 1970. Marshall is also the place where she hatched me. I feel so so lucky to have had her as my momma. Between 1974 and 1982 she served as principal under the Missouri State School System for the Severely Handicapped at several schools in Marshall and Columbia, MO.
In 1982 our family moved to southern Thailand where my momma taught at the Prince of Songkla University Demonstration School and conducted research on the role of rural school principals for her doctorate, which she received in 1983 from the University of Missouri. In 1984 our family moved to Bangkok, where she taught first and second grade at the International School of Bangkok for next 8 years.
In 1994 my mom and dad moved to Guam, where my momma taught elementary school with Guam Public Schools for a year before joining the faculty of University of Guam as an Associate Professor under the College of Education.
In 2000 she moved to Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, DC where, in her retirement, she occasionally taught courses at American University, and attended countless cultural events across our Nation’s capital. This is where she was so happy to see me get married and meet her four grandbabies between 2008-2018.
My momma was a teacher. The number of people all across the world that learned to read – or learned how to teach others to read – through her master teaching is inestimable. So many times, when many said, “that kid just can’t learn to read” she would say, “let me try” and that kid would read. If you were ever a student of my momma, know that she loves you and still believes in you.
My momma loved all sorts of music, especially live music. She would listen to Mariachi bands for hours. She would sit and listen to traditional Chinese instruments play till the wee hours of the night. One of my earliest memories if of her crying when Elvis died. When I did plays and musicals and sang in choirs, she always came to every single one of my performances; every single one (and there were A LOT).
My momma loved to grow things and could grow anything. She would take her grandkids through her garden and let them pick cucumbers and peppers and tomatoes and everything right off the vine so they could eat them right there.
My momma was a Christian. Throughout her life she was very active in whichever church she served (Disciples of Christ and otherwise). She respected people of all faiths. She taught me about love and faith and hope. The Force has always been with her.
My momma loved dogs. She had them through her whole life. I know Webster and Puppy and Cider and all the others are wagging their heavenly tails with her now.
My momma was a fighter. She never tolerated anybody putting her down, or putting her family down, ever. Over the last year of her life she fought so bravely through a number of ailments to get every last minute she could to be with those she loved and those who love her so so so much.
My momma taught me I can do anything, and I believe her. Even though she won’t be here to remind me about this in person anymore, I know her spirit will be; I already feel it.
I will miss and think about my momma every day for the rest of my life. I am so sad right now, but I know there will be brighter days and, over the mighty horizon we must all one day cross, she will be there waiting for us with love and open arms. I am so grateful that I had her as my momma, she did such a great job in her life, and I love her so much.
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Gary Starr Kocher, age 77, of Toledo, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, December 3, 2015. He was born on December 24, 1937, to Franklin C. and Ruth E. (Young) Kocher in Akron, OH. As a child Gary grew up in Akron, OH, Rockville, MD and moved to Shelby, OH where he graduated high school. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan where he was a drum major for three years. Later he received his Master’s Degree from the University of Toledo. For 37 years he taught and was the head of the Science Department at Sylvania Northview High School. Gary also taught at Willow Run, MI and Bangkok, Thailand.
Some of Gary’s passions and interests were natural vegetable and flower gardening, fused glass work and stained glass work.
Left to cherish his memory are his siblings, Terry (Mike Reichert) Bodager, Lary Kocher and Sherry Kocher; four nephews; two nieces and three great-nieces.
The family will receive guests on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Newcomer Funeral Home, 4150 W. Laskey Rd. (419-473-0300). Sharing of Memories will begin in the funeral home on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
Mr. Kocher,
You were my favorite teacher during my time at ISB. You always found a way to make learning fun, and your smile was contagious. That Saturday that you took several of us to Chinatown was a great adventure and one of my fondest memories of Bangkok. Rest in peace and Thank you, David Wilkerson
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Lovingly written and submitted by her son Sidney Gerson ~ Class of 1972
Rachelle Musman Bennett 8/23/1933 – 3/5/2023
Mom was born in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg. She told us of her early life in Luxemburg and how she, being the youngest, and only daughter of four children, was spoilt rotten. One snowy day her three brothers, Jacques, Maurice, and Bernard were forced into taking her sledding. When they reached the bottom of the hill, she didn’t want to walk back up so she cried and screamed so loud and long, causing the neighbors to look out their windows, forcing her brothers to drag her back up the hill while she sat on the sled. Mom even had a dog that would meet her after school and carry her books home.
When she was around seven, the Nazis invaded Luxemburg and the family had to escape. They fled all the way to the South of France, sometimes finding a truck to take them and sometimes on foot. When they were on foot they had to watch for Nazi planes and had to jump in bushes to hide. After the dangerous trip our mom was hidden in a convent. She lived in the convent as a young catholic girl until a family was found to take her in. As Rachelle got on the bus to travel to this family, the Mother Superior gave her some Rosary Beads. Rachelle refused the beads saying “I am Jewish”. Mother Superior convinced her to take the rosary which turned out quite fortunate. The bus was stopped at a checkpoint, the Nazis were searching for Jews, Rachelle pulled out those rosary beads and started saying the prayers like a good little catholic girl!
She went on to Rodez, France, where she assumed the identity of a young French girl who had died, and lived as the daughter of the Catholic family. Of course, during this period, she was such a good student that she won an award which was signed and presented by a Nazi General and she accepted this award in front of a large assembly of students, their families, and of course Nazis.
After the war she burned the award along with other memorabilia she had accumulated because she wanted no memory of the traumatic years she had to endure. It was always hard for our mother to talk about this time in her life, although she was able to sit through two interviews recording her personal experience of the Holocaust. Once I was driving her to a Holocaust Survivor’s event where she was supposed to be one of the speakers when she suddenly said “I cannot do this, turn around right now!” I tried talking to her and calm her down but I could see she was getting terrified so I stopped trying to convince her to go, and came up with an alternative plan. We went and ate Thai food and she felt better.
After the War, mom’s family immigrated to America. They sailed across the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth and started a new life in Brooklyn where our mom attended high school. In her high school year book she wrote that she wanted to live in the Orient. Mom went on to get a Batchelor’s Degree in Romance Languages from Brooklyn College. While at Brooklyn College, she went to a Jewish Mixer where she met our father, who had been born and raised in Thailand, the Orient! After college they were married and moved to Bangkok so our father could join his family’s business.
Mom became a teacher, and taught high school French, Latin, Math, and Chemistry at the International Children’s Center (now the International School of Bangkok.) Later she taught French at the Bangkok Pattana school where Suzanne and I both attended. In her first year of teaching, Mom had some belligerent students. She failed the ones who didn’t do their work, almost the whole class. The headmaster told her she couldn’t fail them. She said this was the grade they deserved. Then she worked with those students so they could bring their grades up. They all ended up getting B’s and A’s!
Our mom fully embraced life as an expat in Thailand and created a diverse community of friends. She joined charitable organizations such as the International Women’s Club, the American Women’s club and the Red Cross Society. When Temple Beth Elisheva was formed she became very involved with the temple’s Sisterhood. She also learned to play bridge and got so good that long time experienced players wanted to be her partner.
In Thailand Mom discovered her love of entertaining. She hosted dinners for the expat and Thai business communities. The formal evening Bar Mitzvah party she organized for me was one of biggest social events in Bangkok that year.
She gave me and Suzanne big birthday parties and made beautiful cakes for us. One year, my cake was a ship. Another birthday Mom used Suzanne’s favorite doll and made the cake around the doll to look like a beautiful gown and made a tiara that was edible! Our mom also liked making elaborate costumes for us for Purim and Halloween. I was always one of the three kings in the Bangkok Pattana School Christmas Play. I’m pretty sure it was because I always had a most spectacular costume!
One Thanksgiving dinner that she hosted, mom made pilgrim costumes for Suzanne and me and we had to meet the guests at the gate and walk them to the party around the pool. She gave me some money and bought (confiscated) my small sampan boat and had it converted into a Viking ship where she set up the buffet dinner.
Mom was an excellent cook. In Bangkok, she made an agreement with our cook, SomSee. For every Thai dish SomSee would teach her, Mom would teach SomSee a European dish. Years later, before there were any Asian markets in the USA, Suzanne and I would go over to Mom’s house to make curry pastes. We would decide what curry paste we were going to make, buy almost every ingredient we needed at the grocery store, make a few substitutions, and Mom would whip it up in the blender. They tasted so authentic.
In Thailand our best friends were the Isaacs. No, not Jewish! One year Hanukah would be celebrated at our house and Christmas at theirs and vice versa the next year. Because of this, Christmas became very important to our mother and us. One year here in America mom decided she was going to put on a very fancy Christmas dinner. She skinned a goose in one piece, breaded the goose, sewed the skin back together and stuffed it with her homemade stuffing. The goose and the stuffed skin were baked together so when the main course was brought out it looked like there were two geese at the table! The goose fat from the skin sure made the stuffing taste great but she said she would never do that again!
Thailand was where Mom’s love for gardening began. Our house sat on an acre of land and she completely transformed the grounds into lush tropical gardens. She spent hours every week in the garden nurturing the fauna, and there were flowers of all colors with bougainvillea hedges, frangipani trees, roses, jasmine, orchids and also beautiful shade trees around the pool. She was always trying to chase our barking deer away for the fresh bougainvillea buds, boy did those deer like the tender buds!
Our mom had a great sense of humor and enjoyed joking around. Once, when she came to help me for two weeks after I had back surgery, I discovered something about her sense of humor I never suspected. The movie Spaceballs was coming on TV and I told Mom she probably would not like it. She asked me what was Spaceballs and told her it was a movie by Mell Brooks. Whereupon she completely surprised me “I love Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles is Dolph and my favorite movie, Dolph and I watch it every month”!
One time in Thailand, we boated out to an island with a large group of friends. Mom contributed hard boiled eggs for lunch. Since we were on a beach everyone decided to have fun and use their heads to crack the eggs. Mom came up and asked to use my head, I said yes and suddenly I had raw egg all over me. Everyone laughed and laughed. After I washed up, she brought another egg over and I said NO, I would crack it myself and I had egg all over me again! She insisted it was a mistake but I know better.
Another time, in Brooklyn, Mom and Suzanne were walking home from the Subway. They passed a pizza place where music was blaring out into the street. Mom put down her packages and started dancing. Of course, Suzanne was very embarrassed, but our mom just had fun.
A little known fact about our mom was that she was a jock! She could run like the wind; she played golf quite well and she was on a dive team when she was a teenager. One day, when a group of us kids were water skiing in Pattaya, our mothers decided to learn how to ski also. Mom’s first try she was up and skiing. Then she let go of the rope. When asked why she let go of the rope she replied “I don’t know how to ski yet”! This went on for a few times so we had to fix this. Her next try all the children in the boat started yelling hold on, hold on, hold on… and she finally did hold on. A couple of weeks later she was on a slalom ski.
A few years after her first marriage ended, Mom was in synagogue in Bangkok and she kept hearing a beeping noise. She looked over and realized the noise was coming from the gentleman she was sitting next to. Adolph Bennett’s hearing aid was making noises and he kept putting his finger to his ear. So she thought it was just like in the movies, he must be a secret agent man! They talked after the service and he asked her out and a romance was kindled. At the time, he was stationed in Laos so they managed a long-distance relationship. Several months later after Dolph was stationed back in Thailand, they were married and shortly thereafter moved to Annandale Virginia.
A year later year Dolph was stationed in Kenya for three years. In Nairobi Mom continued creating beautiful gardens. She immediately was out in the garden with the gardener trimming and planting native species of flowering plants and turning her garden into a colorful portrait. Our mom again involved herself in many charitable organizations and the Jewish community. She and Dolph had many fancy parties and she enjoyed showing off her garden to her guests. She was happy to learn about several parts of Africa when she was able to accompany Dolph on some of his work trips.
Dolph’s next post was in Washington DC. Mom again became involved in clubs and charitable organizations. She was the President of the Falls Church women’s club for three years. She belonged to the sisterhood at Temple Rodef Shalom, and served for a year as President. She earned her Master Gardening Certification. She was proud of the garden she nurtured at her home in Falls Church, gave tours of her garden and taught at her gardening club. She could not have had this wonderful garden with out the help of her former son-in-law David who faithfully came over weekly to help her in the garden and mow the lawn. After mom got her companion dog Muffy, David also brought along special treats for Muffy.
One thing Mom used the flowers from her garden for was creating flower arrangements. She would trim her plants and create beautiful center pieces and other arrangements for the parties she had. Mom became so good at arranging flowers she started a business making bouquets and arrangements for weddings and celebrations. Waking up at 4 AM to help her take all the flowers to a church for a wedding was so much fun!
A joy for Mom of living back in the US, was being able to spend time with extended family, including her own mother and brothers.
Another big privilege of living in the US was being Nanny to one of the joys of her life, her grandson Aaron. She got to spend a lot of time with him and watch Aaron grow from his babyhood to an outstanding man. Mom also enjoyed the times she spent with Dolph’s grandchildren.
I would like to thank Keith for the support he gave Suzanne during the past year and most importantly, I wish to thank my sister Suzanne deeply for the loving care she took of our wonderful mom.
Thank you for gathering with us here today to honor our mother. We will miss her guidance, humor, and love
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Kevin Haverty ~ Director of Development(1993-1996)
Arrived ~ 4/29/1952
Departed ~ 8/30/2009
KEVIN HAVERTY OBITUARY Kevin M. Haverty Westminster, VT formerly Leominster; 57 Westminster, VT Kevin M. Haverty, 57 of Tory Hill Road, died at his home on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 following a long illness.
Mr. Haverty was born in Chelsea, MA, April 29, 1952, the son of Leo and Phyllis (Bourgoin) Haverty. He graduated from Leominster High School, Leominster, MA, received his bachelor’s degree from Providence College and his two master’s degrees from Keene State College, Keene, NH.
Mr. Haverty’s career in education went in many directions. He was at Thayer Jr. and Sr. High School in Winchester, NH for six years, where he taught English, Social Studies, Basketball, and Soccer, he was Guidance Counselor and Assistant Principal in Athens, Greece, as Assistant Principal at Bellows Falls Union High School, Westminster, VT, as Development Director in Bangkok, Thailand, as H.S. Principal in Israel, as H.S. Principal and Deputy Director in Prague, Czech Republic. Mr. Haverty was Director of The American International School in Vienna, Austria. He served overseas schools for 16 years.
Upon returning to the United States in 2006, he worked at the Chesterfield Elementary School as part time Assistant Principal. He continued on as a Guidance Counselor and Admissions Director at the Virtual Learning Academy, Charter School in Exeter, NH.
On Aug 13, 1983 in Walpole, NH, he married Lori Walters who survives. He also leaves a son, Tarek Haverty of Alstead, NH; his parents, Leo J. Haverty of Leominster, MA and Phyllis Deneen of Fitchburg, MA and a brother, Brian Haverty of Lunenburg, MA. He was predeceased by a daughter, Allison.
There will be calling hours Friday evening, Sept. 4, 2009 from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home, Bellows Falls, VT. A memorial service will be at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 at the Unitarian Church, Walpole, NH. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services, PO Box 564, Keene, NH 03431 or the Melanoma Research Foundation, 170 Township Line Road, Building B., Hillsborough, NJ 08844
Published by Sentinel & Enterprise on Sep. 2, 2009.
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