Obituary of Joseph Polonsky

Joseph “the judge” Polonsky February 18, 1931- March 30, 2013 Ellenville & Lake George, NY Joseph “the judge” Polonsky, 82, of Ellenville, New York, passed away Saturday, March 30, 2013 in his condo in Delray Beach, Florida. Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 4 at 10:00 AM in the Congregation Israel Synagogue. Burial will follow at the Synagogue Cemetery in Wawarsing. After the burial Joe’s friends and family are invite to celebrate Joe’s life at the Honor’s Haven in Ellenville. Joe was the oldest child and only son of the late Rae and Saul Polonsky. He was born on February 18, 1931 and is survived by his sisters Janet and Irene. He served in the navy on aircraft carriers during the Korean War and at that time met his wife the late Nancy Friedman. They were married in 1953. Their life together created a wonderful family of three children, Rhona, Todd and Sara. Joe was loved by his grandchildren; Corey, Jared, Rae, Bekah, and Issac. Judge Joe was a “people person” who sought adventure in his life. He had a variety of hobbies, interests and activities that took him and Nancy to far off places in a variety of transport modes. They travelled to Europe, Indonesia, Israel, India and multiple visits to Hawaii to spend time with their children and grandchildren. He loved airplanes, boats and motorcycles and of course a luxury convertible. On Joe’s Honda Gold Wing motorcycle they traveled the deserts, mountains, and plains of the United States. Nancy’s favorite motorcycle story was driving in the desert in the open air through a swarm of locust. Joe was an avid boater and camper, who loved to cook outdoors over an open fire or a barbecue. Lake George was the place that Joe loved the most. He gathered daily to drink coffee at the corner store and made sure that in all places he resided he had his morning “coffee clutch”. This was an important time for him to drink coffee, create friendships and catch up on the daily news. From Pilot’s Knob to Log Bay and Paradise Bay up to the Narrows and down to Lake George Joe knew boulders and shallow areas to avoid while providing all of his lake visitors with a guided tour. He and Nancy spent many hours over two decades sailing the Nellie’s Bly! He introduced his children and grandchildren to “The Lake”. They all grew to consider Lake George a special place. Joe was happiest watching his family and friends enjoy endless Lake George water sports. In the 1970’s, Joe and Nancy owned the County Line, a successful restaurant where they welcomed families and friends both as customers and employees. People who worked with Joe knew that he cared about them and as a result they also cared for him. He created the same positive relationships at Aero Transport with his business associates, who will remember Joe as a friend. Whether Joe was piloting his own plane and flying to Canada to fish or sailing in the Caribbean it was about the people he met and the friendships he created. As a judge for 25 years, Joe’s goal was to assist and support people to move their lives in a positive direction. He presided over many weddings in his living room and always had a spare bottle of champagne in the refrigerator! His door was always open!