Jamesine "Polly" Gibson

With a life that spanned nearly a century, Jamesine “Polly” Gibson taught us so much about what it means to be content in all things. She took every moment captive and made it her own while deeply loving those around her in her own special way. Polly was proud of the community she called home throughout her life and put her own touches here and there, leaving a lasting footprint that will remain intact for generations to come. A woman who could find the silver lining along any black cloud, she believed in treating others with respect, compassion, and generosity. Polly will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.

If one could turn back the hands of time to the year 1916 they would reveal a much different America than the one we know and love today. Unsafe working conditions and a lack of child labor laws topped the issues of the day while President Woodrow Wilson declared that America was “too proud to fight” as the hostilities of what became WWI were escalating overseas. This was a year to remember in the lives of one young couple from Lawton, Michigan, as they were pleased to announce the arrival of their healthy baby girl on February 4th. Baby Jamesine was welcomed into the family of James and Nellie (Lockwood) Pollock, and was nicknamed “Polly,” short for Pollock, at a young age. Polly became the name she was known by throughout the rest of her life. Her parents owned and operated the local general store, and it was from her parents that she learned her exceptional people skills and her strong work ethic.

For the most part Polly experienced a childhood that was reflective of the times. As a teenager she enjoyed roller skating from Lawton to Paw Paw with her friends where the kids loved taking in the “big city life.” As a student she attended local schools, graduating from Lawton High School in 1933. Polly continued her education from there as she went on to graduate from Kalamazoo College in 1937.

With her formal education behind her Polly taught in the Lawton Public School System until she married the love of her life on June 26, 1940. Her new husband, Charles R. Gibson, was also from Lawton and was in the educational field as well. After some time off Polly did some substitute teaching in Lawton and also taught violin and piano lessons in her home.

After becoming husband and wife Polly and Charles settled into a home in Lawton and began building their new lives together. When WWII arrived on our doorstep on December 7, 1941, Charles became one of the numerous young men called to serve his country during this time of great need. He was sent to Europe while Polly remained in Lawton. With his duty to his country fulfilled, Charles returned to Lawton where he resumed teaching in Lawton and later became a principal. When Charles retired in 1971 the couple remained in Lawton where Polly was very active in the community.

Along her journey there were so many things that enriched Polly’s life. She was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and also of the Order of the Eastern Star. Together with her husband Polly did quite a bit of traveling in their travel trailer, taking in so much of the beauty the country has to offer. The couple also corresponded with many of Charles’s Army buddies through the years, and Polly even kept up with this practice after he died in 2003. Over the years they attended many of his Army reunions together as well.

Through the way she lived her life Polly taught those around her so many great lessons. She was the eternal optimist who was even keeled and never let things get the best of her. Polly was also never one to raise her voice, although she could be a bit set in her ways at times. With her kind and tender heart she truly cared about others in ways both great and small. Perhaps what we will remember most about Polly, however, was the way she modeled the great value in taking life one day at a time.

Throughout her life that spanned times of war and times of peace, times of plenty and times of want, Polly Gibson was a blessing in the lives of those around her. She generously gave to others in the community she loved and impacted the lives of future generations through her work as a teacher. The memories Polly leaves behind will be treasured for years to come.

Jamesine “Polly” Gibson died Sunday, March 18, 2012. Polly’s family includes her nephew, Charles Agosti (Mandy Tai); cousins, Edythe Buskirk, David (Toni) Buskirk, Mary (Joe) Parisi, Roberta Gibson, and Dale Gibson. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Thompson, Paw Paw, 60900 M-40, (657-3870). Friends my visit one hour prior to the service. Please visit Polly’s personal memory page www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or sign her guest book online before coming to the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Lawton Library.