NED CARLTON POLENZ

On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Ned Carlton Polenz passed away surrounded by his cherished family and friends. He was born on October 18, in Milwaukee, WI, to Alice and Rudolph Polenz. He grew up in Milwaukee, and was drafted into the Korean Conflict in 1952. After being discharged from the United States Army, he married JoAnn Schroeder in 1956. Their first three children were born in Menomonee Falls, WI. Ned and his family moved to Vermillion, SD in 1964, where he attended the University of South Dakota and earned his teaching credential. Ned's first teaching assignment was on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Ganado, AZ in 1966, where he taught business classes and counseled the students, while working on his Master's Degree at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. While in Arizona, the family adopted a Navajo baby Norman. Both experiences in South Dakota and Arizona opened Ned and JoAnn up to new cultures and taught them about the beauty of diversity. In 1970, Ned accepted the position at Kingsburg High School as Director of Guidance, where he worked with the students there for 28 years. Upon retirement from KHS, he taught psychology classes at Reedley College for several years. Ned was a kind, gentle, loving man whose main purpose in life was to serve his God, his family and fellow man. He was happiest when in the company of his family, friends, volunteering at his church or with a mission team in another country, jogging, or on the tennis or pickle ball courts. He is survived by his loving wife JoAnn; son, Scott Polenz of Fresno; daughters, Julie Guz-Montgomery and her husband James of Winchester, VA, and Jeanne Polenz and her wife Carol Yohannes of Fresno; and son, Norman Yazzie Polenz; as well as our beloved grandchildren, Kirsten, Elyssa, Johanna, Johnathan, Dakota, Nicholas and Michael and wife Brieana; and great-granddaughter Marli. He is also survived by his sister, Margie Kildare and her husband Dennis of Wisconsin. The family wishes to extend our deepest gratitude to the Hinds Hospice staff who so lovingly cared for Ned during his illness; and also to the VA Hospital in Fresno. A Celebration of Ned's Life will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1343 E. Barstow, Fresno, CA, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Remembrances may be made to Hinds Hospice; or Wesley United Methodist Church.