Polly W. Rodie, 90, died at home on January 30, 2019, in Lakeville, Connecticut. She is survived by her daughter Jean H. Rodie and her son-in-law Michael J. Klitsch, of Fanwood, New Jersey; and her son-in-law Leonidas Jones, of Meriden, Connecticut. She also had 13 nieces and nephews, 16 great-nieces and nephews, and six great-great-nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert R. Rodie, Jr.; her daughter Elizabeth Rodie Jones;
her brother, Edward P. Wilmer; and her sisters, Barbara W. Gibson and Sheila L. Wilmer. Polly was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 23, 1928, to Edward G. Wilmer and Gertrude L. (Pancoast) Wilmer. The family lived in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Switzerland; and Granville, New York. Polly graduated from The Masters School, in Dobbs Ferry, New York, in 1946; received a B.A. in English literature from Wellesley College in 1950; and earned an M.A. in
special education from Syracuse University in 1951. Her career as an educator included teaching at hospitals such as Newington Children’s Hospital School, in Connecticut, and St. Luke’s Hospital, in New York City; at public schools in Pelham, Yonkers, and Scarsdale, New York; and at the Riverdale Country Day School and the Fieldston School, in New York City, where she worked as a tutor.
A lifelong Episcopalian, Polly became involved in many church-related activities after marrying Robert Rodie, an Episcopal minister whose parish work took them from New York City to Rockland County, New York; New Haven, Connecticut; and the Bronx, New York, where he was the rector of Christ Church, Riverdale, from 1965 until 1984. Along the way, Polly and Bob raised their two daughters and frequently hosted the girls’ friends in the rectory at Christ Church.
Polly and Bob moved to Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1984 after Bob’s retirement from the ministry. Polly volunteered at schools in the area such as Salisbury Central and Sharon Central, served on the boards of Extras (an after-school program) and SPHNA (now SVNA), and was involved in other activities such as being a resident advocate at Noble Horizons, in Salisbury, and recording audiobooks for the blind and dyslexic, in Lenox, Massachusetts. In addition to going on Elderhostel trips with Bob and spending time at the Winnisook Club, in the Catskills, where the family has a summer cabin, Polly enjoyed entertaining her extended family and friends at home in Lakeville. Polly and Bob were longtime members of St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Salisbury.
A funeral will be held on Saturday, February 16, at 2 p.m., at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Salisbury, Connecticut. Interment will be at the family’s convenience. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Episcopal Relief and Development.
