William Isler
Goodbye to longtime Fort Myers Beach resident, William “Rusty” Isler, who died on November 30, 2023 in Conroe, Texas at the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Gary Jenkins. Rusty fought a twelve year battle with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumor. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, William “Red” Isler and Ruth Eddy Isler. Rusty is survived by his daughters, Sherry Sparks and Stacey Isler, his granddaughters, Scarlett and Sawyer Sparks, his sister, Jane Jenkins and husband Gary, and his nephew, Andrew Wojecki and wife Agustina, and their children Oliver and Matilda.
Rusty was born June 17, 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father made a career in US Air Force and Rusty grew up in a number of locations, both in the US and overseas. After graduating from high school in Bossier City, La., he attended Louisiana State University, joined the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity and received a BS degree in business.
While in college he worked as a dive master for Carl Gage in the Keys. After graduation, he purchased a shrimp boat, renamed it the “Viking” and converted it to commercial fishing for a couple of years. He also assisted his dad in building another boat, the “Orion”. He married Donna Jones and in 1980 settled into a more stable existence as a purchasing agent for Island Water Association on Sanibel.
Rusty was elected to the Fort Myers Beach Town Council in 1996 and served for 2 years. At the same time and due to his strong character, technical ability, good working relationships with a little bit of humor thrown in, he progressed to the position of General Manager of Island Water Association in 2007. He finally retired from Island Water in 2012 after 32 years of service.
Rusty was a keen and active traveler with visits to Africa, Australia, Antarctica, Asia, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, etc. The joke was he couldn’t get out of the A’s for a while. However, he did make it to the Galapagos, Costa Rica, Mexico and enjoyed many cruises around the world. He also had a broad interest in photography, technology and scuba diving.
Rusty was a good father and grandfather, caring brother, and an outstanding friend to all. He had a positive impact on this world and will be sorely missed. A celebration of Life will be held on Fort Myers Beach in early 2024.