- Obituary, WATERLOO REGION RECORD, Kitchener, Ontario - Aug. 8, 2008
PAULINE (POLLY) GOOD (nee Cline) Polly Good, of Waterloo, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 4, 2008, at Forest Heights LTC, in her 87th year.Beloved mother of Terry of Toronto, Pat Johnston and her husband Kirk of Burlington, Doug of Kitchener, and his friend Karen Weaver of Collingwood, and Reg and his wife Kathy of Kitchener. She will be sadly missed by her grandchildren, Ian, Cam, Rochelle, Rachael and Daniel. Dear sister of Kathryn Eshleman of Greencastle, Pennsylvania. Polly is predeceased by her husband, Howard, who passed way in 1996. A native of Virginia, Polly grew up in the beautiful Shenendoah Valley. She graduated from Goshen College with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, then taught Home Economics and Biology in Northern Michigan. At Goshen College she met Howard Good of St. Jacob's. They were married, and Polly, a "southern belle", moved to the cold north with Howard to Preston. She was sensitive to colour, texture and aesthetics in her surroundings. Her flair for decorating and interest in antiques led to purchasing antiques for the Stone Crock in St. Jacob's and the design of her beloved fan-back chairs which she had built by an old-order Mennonite. She also designed quilts, chair mats and hooked rugs resembling old favourites. Polly volunteered at Parkwood Home for many years. A board member of Eastwood Community Homes since its inception, she also undertook various decorating projects at Eastwood, including the planning of the furnishings of the dining room. She maintained her interest in decorating and aesthetics until the very end, directing the placement of artwork she collected over years of travel, on the walls of her new room at the Sunshine Centre, and again a week ago when she moved into Forest Heights LTC. A lover of classical music, opera and drama, she attended events locally, at Stratford, Blythe and the Shaw Festival as well as on her travels with Howard. A lifelong lover of nature, she enjoyed gardens, butterflies and birds on adventurous travels throughout the world, seeking out places not yet discovered by most tourists. After moving to the Sunshine Centre, she enjoyed nature from her exquisitely decorated room facing the Fountain Courtyard, enjoying her precious garden sculpture surrounded by flowers, birds and visiting ducks. Special thanks to the staff at the Sunshine Centre, for their friendship and caring for Polly, also the 5th Floor of St Mary's Hospital and at Forest Heights. A memorial service to celebrate Polly's life will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2008 at Rockway Mennonite Church, 32 Weber St. W., Kitchener. In lieu of flowers, donations to the House of Friendship or M.E.D.A. would be appreciated by the family and may be arranged by contacting the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, at 519-745-8445 or www.erbgood.com.
An eye for style
August 26, 2008
Valerie Hill RECORD STAFF
Polly Good of Kitchener Born: March 3, 1922, in Virginia Died: Aug. 8, 2008, of organ failure Elegantly slender and full of creative energy, Polly Good was a diminutive tour de force, a lady with strong ideas about how everything should be done. And by gosh, you had better abide. Pat Johnston of Burlington often butted heads with her strong-willed mother, yet she also grew to appreciate this dynamo who accomplished so much despite a neverending desire to find something new, exciting and challenging. Born the youngest of two girls in Virginia's stunning Shenandoah Valley, Polly led a very comfortable life. Her father Edgar Cline had become his family's main breadwinner at age 13, a responsibility that instilled a strong work ethic in the young man. When a local businessman helped Edgar launch an egg business, he became a champion breeder, developing hens that produced perfectly shaped eggs. The eggs were in hot demand by New York City restaurants which paid the princely sum of 90 cents a dozen during the Depression. Over the years the business expanded to include turkeys, allowing Polly to grow up a southern belle, though her background was Mennonite. Polly graduated from Goshen College in Indiana, leaving in 1947 with more than just a degree in home economics. "She met Howard, from St. Jacobs, at Goshen," said Pat. The couple married June 26, 1948 in a marriage that was both traditionally Mennonite and quintessentially Polly. Mennonite custom dictated wedding gowns must be "princess length" and plain. Full-length gowns were considered "too worldly" and though Polly did comply, once the marriage vows were said and done, she was suddenly wearing a full-length gown and everyone in her bridal party had a huge corsage. Pat has no idea how she did this, but laughs at the cheekiness of her mother. After marriage, the couple moved to St. Jacobs and later Kitchener where Howard ministered until giving up the cloth to become a teacher. Together they raised three sons and a daughter, in a household where Polly was in charge. "She designed their house on Edgehill, designed the gardens, everything," said Pat, recalling her mother's refined taste and sense of colour and design. Polly was installing oak floors while everyone else was into shag. "She was a renaissance woman," Pat said. "Whatever she did, she did well." Polly became known for her design skills and knowledge of antiques, which she sold from a small shop in her home. The Stone Crock restaurant in St. Jacobs hired Polly to fill the place with antiques but she also had ideas about patrons' comfort. "She wanted to design chairs like the old style, but comfortable," Pat explained. "Everything had to be perfect. She got a design patent, then found an old order Mennonite with a hand lathe." Always impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit with matching jewelry, Polly was a lady fuelled by creative impulses. Her hands were never idle and she also loved music and theatre and had passion for history. Pat talked about family road trips across North America, stopping at historic sites. Polly wanted her children to fully experience life, once taking them to a black church in Alabama during a tumultuous time in American history. In their retirement, Polly and Howard became world travellers, with Polly seeking adventure off the beaten track. She also had an unyielding desire for knowledge, reading books and newspapers, following current events. Howard died in 1996 and shortly after, Polly began losing her hearing, which eventually led her to move into a retirement home and then later a nursing home. In both places her sense of design remained strong. Pat said her mother cut out photos of furniture and using grid paper, she decided where the pieces would be placed in her new room. Everything had to be as Polly dictated, to the very end.
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