Ursula Sue Nunn Polk

Ursula Sue Nunn Polk, 52, of Lansing, KS, passed away Sunday, June 26, 2005, at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. She was born on December 20, 1952, at Ft. Hood, TX, the daughter of Howard and Ilse Kalmering Nunn. As a child she lived in Germany and Turkey. Ursula was Salutorian of Jacksonville Arkansas High School graduating class of 1971. On June 5, 1974, she married 2LT Freddy Lee Polk in West Point, NY. In 1975, she graduated with honors from the University of Central Arkansas where she majored in Political Science. In 1976, Ursula received her commission as Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. The Polks were stationed in Germany, where Ursula gave birth to their daughter, Jessica Maria, August 22, 1980. She received her Master's Degree in Public Administration from American University, Washington, D.C., in 1983. She graduated with distinction and was admitted to the Naitonal Honor Society for Public Administration. Ursula and her husband were stationed at West Point, NY, where both served as Assistant Professors. She was one of the first women to teach at the United States Military Academy where their son, John Edward Ronald, was born May 19, 1985. The Polks were stationed in Panama and participated in Operation Just Cause of 1989. Ursula participated in both the planning and the execution of the operation and became one of the first post-Vietnam female soldiers to earn a combat patch. In 1990, Ursula attended the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, and served as an instructor in strategy at the college the following year. Her final rank was Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. She was an active member and advocate of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, Leavenworth, KS. A tireless promoter of education, she served as President of the Parent Teacher League and was a member of the school board as well as other committees in the church. Ursula received her teaching certification from Avila University and taught Government, Economics, and International Relations at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth. She was also on the Board of Directors of Iron Tree Research, Inc. She is survived by her husband, Fred, and son, John, both in Lansing, KS; and daughter, Jessica in Topeka, KS. Her mother resides in Jacksonville, AR; and her surviving sisters are Sandra Owens, Covington, GA, and Angel Hope, Harrison, AR. Funeral service will be held at St, Paul Lutheran Church, Leavenworth, KS, on Thursday, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Leavenworth National Cemetery (behind V.A.) at 11 a.m. Floral arrangements may be sent to Davis Funeral Chapel, 531 Shawnee St., Leavenworth, KS. Memorials may be made in Ursula's name to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box, 650309, Dallas, TX, 75265, or www.komen.org. (Arr; Davis Funeral Chapel, Inc., Leavenworth, KS.)