Enner Polsky

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Enner Polsky, devoted mother, accomplished teacher, delightful sister, and warrior through life's difficulties whose playful sense of joy in life and relationship – however dimmed they may have been at times of struggle – always shone brightly in her heart in a way that was palpable to those around her, and is a source of comfort to her loved ones as they grapple with the void her passing has left behind.

Born in Camaguey, Cuba in 1930, her mother passed away when she was 10 months old. She was raised by her beloved paternal grandmother Amada, whose protection and guidance and care endowed Enner with the open-hearted strength that would be a hallmark of the rest of her life.

At the tender age of twenty, she was already a working teaching professional, riding alone on horseback across rivers through rural Cuba to single-handedly establish and serve as teacher at a one-room schoolhouse for rural families.

She went on to receive her Ph.D. in Pedagogy from the University of Havana and then, in 1958, she accompanied her sister Berta on a summer trip to Miami where she met her future husband – an American from Philadelphia - while sitting in the lobby of the National Hotel. After a summer romance, she accepted Stanley's proposal. Their engagement spanned the epic backdrop of the Cuban revolution, and they married in September of 1959.

Moving to a new country and learning a new language, she brought the same zest and devotion and intelligence she amply demonstrated in the classroom to the raising of her three fortunate sons. While the ensuing decades brought her the joy of seeing the three boys she raised grow into men with families and lives of their own – while earning a master's degree in Spanish Literature from the University of Chicago along the way - those years also brought Enner emotional trials. She endured some bouts of mental illness, which would be a recurring element of her life, and her separation from Stanley in 1979 ultimately led to divorce.

In an ironic twist, since Enner was raised Catholic, Stanley's immigrant Jewish family rejected her at first due their tradition-bound objections to marriage outside of the faith. But this same family, won over by Enner's charm and sincerity and outgoing personality, not only eventually accepted her, but continued to be a supportive and loving influence in Enner's life even after the divorce. This helped create the space for Enner and Stanley to be an amicable presence in one another's lives, culminating in Enner's steadfast presence next to Stanley's deathbed in 2015.

After raising her family in Pittsburgh, the divorce prompted her to move to Tucson where she earned a master's degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Arizona while returning to the classroom to teach elementary school children for another two decades. Over that period she took up yoga, regularly astounding her much-younger fellow yoga students with her flexibility and strength well into her eighties with her typical unassuming smile.

After retirement, she moved to Baltimore where she spent the final 12 years of her life as a dedicated walker – sometimes walking miles a day around her senior living facility – and a gardener who brought neglected plants to life to the delight of her fellow residents.

In so many ways Enner was ahead of her time, establishing herself as an independent educated woman and professional, while simultaneously adapting to a new culture and language. As such she was a tremendous inspiration to the women fortunate enough to know her friendship. Enner also continued to cherish her relationships with her Cuban family throughout her life, many of whom eventually followed her lead in moving to the United States.

And finally, no tribute to Enner would be complete without mentioning her dancing. She loved ballet as a child, and as a grandmother she was known to tear up the dancefloor at many a bar or bat mitzvah. Despite being less than five feet tall, and even into her later years, she often found herself encircled by clapping admirers delighting in her presence and cheering her on. After decades of delighting in her presence, we who survive her now mourn her absence.

Enner, known variously to her many loved ones as aweeta, tía, aunt, madrinita, friend, mom, and teacher, is survived by her loving sons, David (Sharon Fliegelman) Polsky, Daniel (Tracey) Polsky, Kenneth (Elsa Bofill-) Polsky; adoring grandchildren, Gabriel Polsky, Joni Polsky, Clara Polsky, Asher Polsky, Isaac Polsky, Stella Polsky, Micah Polsky, and Victoire Polsky. She was predeceased by her loving siblings, Bertha, Adolfo, Manuel, Olga and her devoted parents, Hortensia Alvarez and Adolfo Roque.

Services are private. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Room to Read honoring her dedication to teaching: https://www.roomtoread.org/.