Mary "Polly" Mahaffey

1937 - 2014

Mahaffey, Mary PollyNovember 17, 1937 - July 3, 2014 Loving mother and second mother to many, grandmother, friend, and hostess extraordinaire passed away Thursday evening, July 3, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. Born Mary Morris Montgomery on November 17, 1937 in Atlanta and raised in Athens, Georgia, Mary attended H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College in New Orleans, Louisiana. There she met her former husband James Watson Mahaffey of Indianapolis, Indiana; she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and spent her junior year studying abroad in London, England before graduating from Sophie Newcomb in 1959. Mary came with her family to Central Florida in the 1960's, where they settled in College Park for almost 30 years. Mary Mahaffey was a member of the Junior League of Orlando-Winter Park. She had her boutique, Sunbonnet Designs, on Edgewater Drive during the 1980's and 1990's. Ladies who were looking for something a little different came here to do their shopping. Mary was adept at convincing women of all ages to give quirky, eccentric fashion a try, and many found they loved her unique taste and sense of style. Mary was well known and much loved for her joyous laughter, tall tales, witty sense of humor, and sharp observations on people and human nature. Even suffering a brain aneurysm in the mid 1990's did not slow her down. Mary managed to travel all over the world and maintained her gift for bringing people together, organizing weekly brunches, lunches, and dinners up to the very end. Mary Mahaffey is preceded in death by her father, Claude Howard Montgomery and mother, neé Mary Parks Morris; her brother William Franklin Montgomery; her uncle, William F. Morris Jr; and her son, Robert Kiley Mahaffey. She is survived by her children, James W. Mahaffey Jr. of Charlotte, North Carolina, William Mahaffey of Orlando, Florida, and Montgomery Mahaffey of Portland, Oregon; her grandchildren, Trey Mahaffey, Montgomery Mahaffey, and Texys Mahaffey; her sister, Sally Montgomery of Hazlehurst, Georgia; her former husband, Jim Mahaffey of Winter Park, Florida; and her step-grandchildren, Austin Bixler, Alex Bixler, and Kylie Brownewell. Funeral services will be held at Baldwin-Fairchild Ivanhoe Chapel at 301 NE Ivanhoe Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32804 on Tuesday, July 8,, 2014 at 10:30 AM. A visitation prior to the funeral service will be from 9:30-10:30 AM. Reception immediately following funeral service. Burial Service is anticipated in Commerce, Georgia on Thursday, July 10, 2014. In lieu of flowers, Mary Mahaffey was an ardent supporter of the Russell Home for Atypical Children. Charitable donations made in Mary Mahaffey's memory would be appreciated. Russell Home for Atypical Children; 510 Holden Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32839. Contact info: 407-855-8063 or russellhome.org.