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Pauline Elmendorf Obituary
Dia Elmendorf
1939-2017
A long-time South Bay resident, Polly
Dia Elmendorf passed away recently.
Born in Youngstown Ohio, she met
and married Dr. Amir Dia while at nursing school, and the couple settled in
Palos Verdes in 1965 where they raised four children. Polly later moved to Torrance and returned to nursing as a hospice worker, where she was a joyful and steady presence for her patients and their families.
She is survived by her husband Bob Elmendorf, her brother Jim DeWoody, her children Sousie Alex Dia, Magda Dia (Tom Tolan), Amir Dia (Baleny Minas) and Adam Dia, as well as six grandchildren, whom she adored.
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Harbor Animal Care Center are appreciated. Please sign the guestbook, www.dailybreeze.com.
Memories and Condolences
for Pauline Elmendorf
9 Entries
August 11, 2017
Dear Sousie (Alex) and Family,
What beautiful words and memories to honor your mother! My sincere condolences. May you find love and peace in Him.
Susan Kim
Lynn Steinberg
August 10, 2017
So sorry about your mom everyone
Angie Perkins
August 10, 2017
I only met ms polly a few yimes at thanksgiving or christmas but she loved her family. she will be missed by everyone...
LouAnne DeWoody
August 9, 2017
Jim will be there and I will be there in spirit. Bless all of you and know that we both have memories of Paula that I'm sure he will share with you.
August 7, 2017
Greatest M.I.L. I could have asked for.
T3.
Janet Gunter
August 5, 2017
Polly was my mother's nurse, Martha Schaaf, for approximately 5 years while she went from hospice to palliative care and back. Both my mother and I adored Polly. And, I thoroughly believe that Polly loved my mom too!
She was a ray of sunshine when she came into my mom's home with a practical attitude that was straight forward, but always uplifting. We were the beneficiaries of her personal stories about the family and it was always obvious how much she loved her kids, and Bob. My mother always had plenty of stories too, and Polly was an incredibly good listener. We spent much of her time during visits just sharing stories and laughing.
I often told her how much I admired her ability to deal with those suffering with end of life's struggles so admirably. She would just laugh and say how much she "loved" her job ...and felt "honored" to be a part of doing whatever she could to make the transition to the to the other side easier. She certainly did that for my mother, myself and the rest of our family.
Wherever she is now, I hope that she is receiving the kind of love, respect and joy that she gave to so many others. Polly was a wonderful woman who well earned her right to "a piece of heaven".
Much love to my dear beloved friend.
Janet Gunter
Sousie Alex Dia
August 5, 2017
I love you Mom. May this virtual candle remind us to stay Forever Young in Polly's name.
Sousie Alex Dia
August 5, 2017
I loved my beautiful, generous and extremely talented mom. Polly inspired an entire community of artists and helpers. She put on neighborhood block parties in RPV, she fed hungry kids and animals. She cooked for EVERYONE and her menus were abundant, beautiful and delicious. No one could master a recipe (or create their own) like Polly.
I remember one time at our PVE home she was preparing to throw an elegant dinner party with French cuisine. No catering for Polly. She was the epitome of creative. For the classic es cargot, she even raised her own snails, hand feeding them (and yes) peeling the grapes. I remember this experience so well not only because I was dumbfounded by her level of commitment to her cooking craft, but because I , too , helped feed the tiny snails their itty bitty meals. I remember how slowly they ate away at the grape I was holding and how it didn't look like anything was really being eaten. But then, lo and behold, a real dent had been made in that grape.
The epilogue of this Polly Culinary ClassIc tale is that in the end she could not bring herself to actually cook those fattened snails after all as she had become attached to them and was not about to seal their fate with a hot skillet of butter and garlic!
That's my mom.
August 5, 2017
May God strengthen and comfort the family during your time of sorrow.
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