Sarah (“Sally”) Dixon Isaacs, a retired cancer researcher, died Friday, September 23, 2022, of ovarian cancer at her home in Phoenix, Maryland. She was 72.
Born in Baltimore, Sally was the daughter of Dr. William T. Dixon Jr., who was a psychiatrist on the staff of Sheppard Pratt Hospital, and Patricia Dixon Johnson, who was a teacher with Baltimore County Public Schools and an educational volunteer.
Sally was a graduate of the Calvert School and the Bryn Mawr School for Girls. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, where she transferred from American University the first year that Hopkins accepted women. That year, 1970, Sally was one of 90 women who broke a 94-year tradition. Sally also earned a masters of science degree from Hopkins. Early in her career, she worked on research projects involving the genetic contributions to learning disabilities as well as early outcomes of bone marrow transplant procedures.
After her father’s death from metastatic prostate cancer, Sally served as a project coordinator at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for a study identifying genes associated with the inheritance of prostate cancer. Sally’s work made a significant contribution to this scientific field. She was an author on 79 peer reviewed publications, including first author on a 1995 article in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “For more than 20 years Sally was the coordinator of the Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute’s study of Hereditary Prostate Cancer. She was the heart and soul that made it so successful, providing compassion as she spoke to thousands of surviving family members about the painful deaths many loved ones experienced,” said Patrick C. Walsh, MD, Distinguished Service Professor of Urology Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University. “She was a saint.”
Sally met her husband, Dr. John T. Isaacs, Professor of Oncology and Urology Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as a child when their families were neighbors in Baltimore County. They began dating in high school and married in 1971, eventually settling with their three children in Phoenix on the property where Sally grew up.
Throughout her life, Sally was a wonderful hostess. She enjoyed throwing parties for family, friends, and work colleagues, which included scientists from around the world. Sally also traveled extensively, both with her husband and her children, which she enjoyed. Sally was kind and generous with her time. She loved taking care of her six grandchildren. And she volunteered in the community, particularly with causes related to early education and children’s issues. For example, Sally was a member of the International Dyslexia Association (formerly the Orton Society) and served as a volunteer at St. Vincent’s Villa in Timonium.
In her retirement, Sally was an avid tennis player and enjoyed gardening. She was working toward certification as a master gardener at the time of her illness, with a focus on redeveloping the pollinator garden at the Baltimore County Agriculture Center.
The family will receive friends October 14, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Ruck Towson Funeral Home, 1050 York Road. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. October 15 at the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley, 13717 Cuba Road, where Sally and John were founding parishioners.
In addition to her husband of 51 years, survivors include two daughters, Dr. Katelin P. Isaacs (Barry F. Huston) of Washington, DC, Sarah I. Shelfer (Lochlan F. Shelfer) of Bowie, and a son, William J. Isaacs of Phoenix; three sisters, Natalie D. McCeney and Frances D. Roomets (Tony Roomets), both of Baltimore, and Patricia D. Siegel (Ron Siegel) of Seattle; a brother, William T. Dixon (Callie Neylan), also of Seattle; and six grandchildren (Josephine, Liam, Gideon, Thaddeus, Ignatius, and Genevieve).
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Sally's name to Saint Vincent Villa: https://cc-md.org/ways-to-give/donate/ (designation Saint Vincent Villa).
