Isabel ‘Chavela’ (Terrazas) Neibergall
Isabel “Chavela” (Terrazas) Neibergall died Sunday, March 19, 2023. She was born July 8, 1935, in El Paso, Texas, to Jesus and Francisca (Marquez) Terrazas, the oldest daughter of 11 children. She graduated as the salutatorian of the Class of 1953 at Bowie High in El Paso.
During her freshman year at Texas Western College (now UTEP), she met Larry, the love of her life. They soon married and started a family, eventually having seven kids and settling in Des Moines. Not only did they scrimp to send the kids to Catholic grade school (St. Theresa’s) and high school (Dowling Catholic), but with Larry’s encouragement, she went to Drake University and completed her college degree, earning a B.A. in business administration in 1975.
Isabel then took a job at Job Service of Iowa, where she would rise to fraud investigator and from which she would retire. She sang in the St. Theresa’s choir; drove kids to ballet lessons, baseball/football/basketball practice and games, orchestra, and medical appointments; and did a lot of laundry and cooking. And there wasn’t a craft she didn’t love — quilting, crocheting, needlepoint, knitting, sewing, etc.
In the early 1980s, Chavela survived a tough battle with breast cancer. At Thanksgiving of 1986, a heart attack took her beloved Larry. She later traveled to Spain, Germany, Australia, Hawaii and Tahiti. At 75, she whitewater rafted and rode a zipline in Costa Rica. And for several years, she sang with the Sweet Adelines. She also found time to marry and begin a new chapter with John Crowell. Isabel was a woman of deep faith.
She is survived by her children: Bill, Patrick (Kerry), Dorothy Hurt (Donald J.), Michael (Kathryn), Catherine Bellis (Bryan), and Charlie (Jean); her siblings: Maggie Najera (Manny), Hurt Jr., Jordan L. Hurt, Benjamin Neibergall, Aaron Bellis, Brianna Bellis, Nicole Bellis, Nick Neibergall and Abby Neibergall; her great grandchildren, Frank, Sal (Adele), Cecilia Cobos (Manny), Manny (Carmen), Johnny (Lucy), and Eddie (Alicia); her grandchildren: Rachel Adkins (Austin), Laura Neibergall, John Henry Gaps, Ethan Gaps (Nicole), Sarah Bonsall (John), Emilia Gaps, Donald J., George Bonsall, Carina Bonsall, John Bonsall, Lawrence Gaps, Roger Gaps, and Cordelia Gaps. She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Neibergall; daughter, Gina Neibergall; parents, Jesus and Francisca Terrazas; brothers Gilbert Terrazas, Jesus Terrazas and Danny Terrazas; and grandchildren Lauren Hurt and Andre Hurt.
Contributions may be made to Urbandale Food Pantry (urbandalefoodpantry.org), St. Pius X Catholic Church (stpiusxurbandale.org), or the Larry E. and Isabel T. Neibergall Memorial Scholarship fund at Drake University. Visitation was Thursday, March 23, at Iles Westover Funeral Home. A funeral mass was March 24 at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Lunch was served and followed by a graveside service in Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.