E. Polly Blickenstaff

E. Pauline “Polly” Blickenstaff was a wonderful, caring, and compassionate wife, mother, and grandmother. Never one to remain idle, Polly was an active woman who enjoyed being around people. Her love for her family was evident in her ability to spoil each and every one of them over the years. Nothing brought her greater joy than knowing that they were well cared for and well fed! Polly leaves behind a wonderful collection of memories for her family to treasure for generations to come.

The year 1923 was known for its economic prosperity. The first home game was played at Yankee Stadium between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The nation was seeing large-scale industrial growth and the world’s first portable radio was developed. Time Magazine made its debut and Jazz music was exploding. During a promising time in our nation’s history, Dewey and Ruth Bryant eagerly welcomed home their newborn daughter, Pauline on December 30, 1923 in Greencastle, Indiana. Her birth brought her parents great joy and happiness.

Growing up, her father was a struggling salesman for a food distributor before landing a job with a warehouse at Van Camp Hardware in Indianapolis. A strong provider, he rode the bus to and from work from Greencastle to Indianapolis. During her growing years, her mother stayed at home tending to her and her sister. Later, when they were grown and married, she went back to work as an office manager with DePauw University at Lucy Rolland dormitory for girls. As a family, they spent many vacations camping in a tent. Polly never much liked camping and would rather spend her time with her dolls and her dollhouse. Remarkably she managed to preserve them for many years and they are now in her son’s possession. Polly graduated with the Class of 1941 from Greencastle High School and attended Indiana Central Business College in Indianapolis. During this time, she met her sweetheart, Paul who was an Ensign in the Navy. Eager to spend the rest of their lives together, they joined in marriage and Polly followed him as a military wife for two years before starting a family together.

Taking time off from her job at Indiana Employment Security Division in order to stay home with her children, Polly was the epitome of being a mom. She loved to cook and to bake and was supportive throughout their growing years. Her children truly were her pride and joy! When they were grown, she returned to work for the Selective Service as the local clerk in Auburn in 1958. With self-motivation and drive, she moved quickly up to operations staff manager working in Indianapolis when Selective Service was discontinued in May 1976. After a ten month interlude, she applied to the Department of Labor for an Enforcement Specialist position with the Wage and Hour Division. Her job was to enforce laws concerning child labor, overtime pay, and job discrimination. Polly was a hard worker and her excellent people skills helped to make her career one that she thoroughly enjoyed. Beginning in South Bend before being transferred to an office in Gary, she spent several successful years there before transferring to Toledo. After a remarkable thirty-one years of service with the Federal Government, she retired to pursue her dreams of traveling.

As much as she treasured her years of mothering, she was over the moon when her grandchildren arrived and later her great-grandchildren. Polly was fond of seeing to it they were made to feel special and she’d often savor their holidays spent together. Spending time preparing her favorite dishes and cooking more than enough gave her great satisfaction in knowing that her family would have enough leftovers and delicious goodies to last for nearly a week after Thanksgiving and Christmas! Polly was proud of her family and saw the best in each and every one of them.

A woman with little downtime, Polly saw to it that she remained busy throughout her years. Her membership with Auburn First United Methodist Church, volunteering with the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, DeKalb Health, and the voting polls were ways of giving back to the community she loved while staying connected with her faith life, connecting with people, and building many lasting relationships over the years. Polly was a fifty-year member of the Sigma Beta Sorority and the Auburn Women’s Club which allowed her to strengthened friendships with so many special friends including Mary Bullock and Virginia White who took many wonderful trips with her.

In addition to her extraordinary work as a volunteer, she also loved to weave in some fun and spend time doing the things she loved. Polly enjoyed needle work, crocheting, gardening, and candy making. For many years, she contributed numerous casseroles, pies, and candy for the church bazaar. She was well known for her Divinity and it was always sold out early! Hard to believe she ever found any time to follow her favorite sports teams. She was a fan of both Cincinnati Reds Baseball and Indiana University Basketball. She also enjoyed movies from the 30’s and the big band music of both Bennie Goodman and Glenn Miller. Loved by her family and many special friends, Polly will forever be remembered as an independent woman who loved her family beyond measure. Her sweet personality, excellent cooking, and warm presence will be deeply missed and affectionately shared in the hearts of who knew and loved her.

E. Pauline “Polly” Blickenstaff, 93, of Auburn, died Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at Sacred Heart Home in Avilla. Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Stephen (Ruth) Walter of Auburn and David (Carol) Walter of Bloomington; granddaughters, Rachel (Matt) Montel of Huntertown and Melinda (Kent) Ellert of Auburn; five great-grandchildren; step-granddaughters, Deborah (Ben) Fogt and Diane Payne; and four step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a sister, Norma Harrold. Funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Tuesday with visitation two hours prior at Pinnington Funeral & Cremation Services 502 N. Main Street, Auburn. Memorial donations may be made to Sigma Beta Sorority Chi Eta Chapter. Burial will be held in Cedar Creek Cemetery, Garrett. To sign the guestbook or share a memory of Polly, visit www.pinningtonfh.com.