Marion "Polly" Uihlein

Uihlein, Marion "Polly" Marion "Polly" Strauss Uihlein found peace on Friday, January 31, 2014, at the age of 93. Beloved wife of the late Henry Uihlein, loving mother of Henry Jr., Chris (Julie), Philip and Richard (Lauralee). Proud grandmother to Jennifer (Ed) Straszewski, Marnie (Jonathan) Omer, Rebecca (Paul) Scott and Philip Jr. Great-grandmother to Anna and Tyler Straszewski, Aston Omer, Ella, Keegan and Kellan Scott. Step grandmother to Aaron, Adam and Kathryn Sklenar. Preceded in death by her parents, Marion and Dr. Oscar Strauss and also by her brother and sister, Jim and Lou Helen Strauss. Further survived by loving nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Born on November 30, 1920, attended Normal School in Milwaukee through 8th grade and graduated from Milwaukee Downer Seminary in 1938. Polly attended Hacienda Del Sol College in Tucson, Arizona for one year and transferred to Finch Junior College in New York City in 1940. One of Polly's best friends was Virginia "Ginny" Uihlein, sister of her soon to be husband, Henry Uihlein. While vacationing in Montana in 1939 at the 9 Quarter Circle Ranch, Ginny introduced Polly to Henry and they were later wed on June 13, 1942. The beauty of Montana became a place of much comfort and joy throughout her life while spending parts of the summer with family and friends. How does one articulate the warm, gentle and loving nature of a person? A quiet voice and soft demeanor that sent messages from the heart heard by all that she embraced. She supported the interests of five boys (four sons and a husband) with total love, understanding and forgiveness. While so many today are determined to lead the procession, Polly led by pushing those she loved ahead of her. And in so doing, she distanced herself far out in front of all those that she loved. Always willing to give of her time and energy, Polly performed volunteer service for Columbia Hospital. Remaining true to her desire to help others, she and her husband, Henry formed the Herman A. Uihlein Sr. and Claudia Holt Uihlein Foundation in 1952 which was named after Henry's parents. This Foundation was dedicated to providing improved educational opportunities for children. In 1993 her four sons changed the name to the Henry H. Uihlein (Sr.) and Marion "Polly" S. Uihlein Foundation in recognition of their parents past and on-going commitment to help others. The Foundation today continues to support children and young adults in furthering their education plus many other charities and institutions both inside and outside of Wisconsin. Polly found much comfort and peace in three lifelong pursuits which were poetry, bird identification/watching and flowers. It was not until later in life that her sons discovered the many books of poetry and verses that she had accumulated for her own personal enjoyment. She was very knowledgeable about birds, the different species and how to recognize them. She continued to expand this knowledge and pass it along to all those that were interested. Her largest outside passion however was flowers. Whether learning about them, growing them or just passing the beauty of flowers on to others. She joined the Green Tree Garden Club as a means of enhancing the image and beauty of flowers throughout Milwaukee. She loved the mountain flowers of Montana and took great delight, and comfort in sharing her knowledge of the beauty of these wild flowers with her niece, Nancy Martin. It was a love affair with flowers that Nancy continued to share by twice a month sending Polly flowers throughout her deteriorating health confinement. Nancy continues to share the gift of flowers with her children and grandchildren. In June of 2002 Polly suffered a debilitating stroke that left her paralyzed and speechless. With the Grace of God, and knowing that her husband Henry could not go on without her, she continued to provide love, comfort and companionship to Henry and her family. It is then that her family realized that Polly did not require words to communicate her love and caring for them. A celebration of Marion's life will be held on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church 7845 N. River Road River Hills, WI with the Rev. Debra Trakel presiding. The family will greet friends and family at 2PM, with the service commencing at 4PM. In Lieu of flowers, memorials in Polly's name may be sent to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The family would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Prestige Health Services and the many caregivers that provided Polly with compassionate caring, respect, and companionship.