Obituary of Nancy Polonsky

Nancy Polonsky Of Ellenville, New York July 3, 1931-December 17, 2011 80 years old Nancy Polonsky, 80, of Ellenville, NY passed away peacefully on December 17, 2011, in her snowbird residence in Del Ray Beach, Florida and will rest in the Ellenville Jewish Cemetery. Nancy was born "Nellie" to the late Mary and Philip Friedman or Woodbourne NY on July 3, 1931. The nurses quickly changed her name to Nancy so she would not be named after the family farm cow. We never really knew if it was changed on her birth certificate and her family often teased her about this. Nancy was the youngest in her family of five, including Marcia, Leon, Gladys, and Lillian. Being the baby never stopped her and after graduating from Fallsburg High School in 1949, she attended Mt Sinai Nursing School and worked as a nurse in the Ellenville Community Hospital for 32 years. She was known to many as Nurse Nancy and many will remember her in her white uniform helping and assisting in the care of relatives and Ellenville residents alike. Nancy spent many summers with her husband Joe Polonsky, in Lake George where they eventually resided in Assembly Point and where she often said they had one of the best views on the Lake. She was visited there often by her children and their spouses: Rhona and Geoff, Todd and Wendy, and Sara and Steve, and by her grandchildren; Corey, Jared, Rae, Bekah, and Issac. Everyone loved the lake and it brought great joy to Nancy to sit and watch her children and grandchildren eat her chocolate chip cookies and Mandelbrot. It was always clear that she basked in pride and joy when her children and grandchildren were around. Having family together was her greatest source of happiness. Her oldest grandchild, Corey recently wrote a letter to his "Nanny". He said, "Nanny, I want you to know that I love you very much and I will cherish all the time I have had with you and Poppy. You have meant an enormous amount to me, more then I probably can even comprehend right now. You have always supported me, and offered words of encouragement to work hard and put my nose to the grindstone. I promise you I will make you proud Nanny, I will work hard and be the best person I can be. You were loved by all your family Nanny and we miss you very much right now." This is the influence Nancy had on those she touched. During her 58 years of marriage to Joseph Polonsky they managed motorcycle tours around North America, sailing adventures in the Caribbean, and even learned to play golf as seniors in Lake George and Florida. Though she wasn't much of an adventurer, Joe convinced her to travel afar and visit her children and grandchildren in Europe, India, Israel, Egypt, Indonesia, and Hawaii. From the beaches of Hawaii and Bali, to riding motorcycles in the famous "hippy hangout" of Goa, India, Nancy managed to take a few risks in her travels! Nancy loved her gardens and homes in Ellenville and Lake George. The door to her home was always open to friends and family who would be embraced and welcomed for meals and a boat ride. No doubt, her flowers and plants on Assembly Point will miss her touch next spring. Equally true is the fact that Nancy will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her husband Joe, her sister Gladys Middleman , her children Rhona, Todd, Sara and 5 grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 11:00am at the Ezrath Israel Synagogue in Ellenville with Rabbi Frank officiating. Burial will follow in the Synagogue Cemetery in Wawarsing. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home of Ellenville.