Johnnie K. Polly's Obituary
POLLY, Johnnie K., age 89, of Waynesville, passed away Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Indiana University North Hospital in Carmel, Indiana.
Johnnie graduated as valedictorian from Claiborne High School in New Tazewell, Tennessee. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lincoln Memorial Univerisity in Harrodsburg, Tennessee and her master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky Univerity. She moved to Waynesville with her husband Vernon Polly and had a long career as a respected mathematics teacher at Wayne Local Schools. After 39 years of teaching, she retired in 1996. Following retirement, she regularly attended the retired teachers luncheon and maintained lasting friendships with many of her fellow educators.
Outside of the classroom, Johnnie was a talented and creative artist with a keen eye for color and decorating. She loved painting and was always exploring new techniques, working in oil, acrylic, and watercolor. She enjoyed experimenting with many styles, including landscapes, portraits, animals, and still life paintings. She especially enjoyed painting pictures of family members and their pets. Her work received recognition in local art competitions.
She also enjoyed reading, especially fiction, historical novels, mysteries, and adventure stories. She enjoyed collecting Depression era glassware, antique ceramics and furniture, treasures that reflected her appreciation for beauty, history, and craftsmanship. She loved to travel and ventured to many locales, from Miami, San Francisco and Las Vegas to Alaska, the Caribbean and Scandanavia.
She was known as a generous, loyal, quiet, and intelligent woman who naturally cared for those around her. Johnnie was deeply devoted to her family and especially loved being involved in the lives of her grandchildren. A treasured tradition she kept each year was completing a new Christmas puzzle with her grandchildren, and she was known for preserving meaningful traditions that brought family and loved ones together. She always made sure that everyone felt included and took great pride in keeping traditions alive for others to share. Johnnie and her husband, Vernon, had a summer home on Cherokee Lake in Tennessee and loved having people come visit. Johnnie loved hosting events and get togethers, making sure everyone felt welcomed. Her grandsons would often bring friends to Waynesville and stay over to enjoy Kings Island and the Wright Patterson Air Force Base museum. She was a devoted caretaker for her husband after he was seriously injured toward the end of his life. Among many things, Johnnie will be remembered for the love and pride she had in her son and daughter-in-law, grandsons, family, and friends she thought of as family.
Johnnie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Vernon, in 2008; her parents, Fred Keck and Dallie Webster; and her brother, Raymond Keck. She is survived by her son, Greg (Heidi Sander) Polly; her two grandsons, Nathan Sander and Jakob Polly; her nieces, Judy Polly, Kathy Kincer, and Susan Foster; and her nephew, Scott Keck.
A celebration of life service will be at 1 PM on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville. Life Celebrant Brian Bennett will be officiating. Burial will be at Miami Cemetery in Corwin. The family will receive friends from 5 – 7 PM on Wednesday, at the funeral home. If desired, contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation (https://www.parkinson.org/?form=19983) or toward a scholarship fund in Johnnie’s memory at Wayne Local Schools (please write checks in care of: Wayne Local Schools, 625 Dayton Rd., Waynesville, Ohio 45068, with Johnnie Polly scholarship fund in the memo line). Condolences may be made to the family at https://www.stubbsconner.com.
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