Polly Zoe Blackwell

1927 - 2019

McAllen - Our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother Polly Zoe Blackwell left this life on July 19,2019, at the age of 91. She was dedicated to her family in life and died with her family at hand. That family misses her deeply, but celebrate a life well lived and her reunion with loved ones gone before her. Polly was born and raised the youngest of five children in Gainesville, Texas. She moved to McAllen, Texas, in 1947. Suddenly widowed, she married Milton T. "Blackie" Blackwell on Feb. 15, 1953. They were married for 47 years until his death in 2000, successfully raising five children and running a business together in downtown McAllen, Blackwell's Jewelry store. In the 1970s, with her youngest in middle school, Polly began a second career as a school teacher. She started teaching history at Lincoln Middle School (then a ninth grade school), later transferring to Memorial High School and finally to Nikki Rowe High School, where she served as head of the history department. To further her career, she earned a Masters Degree while working full-time and caring for her family. She retired from teaching at age 75 after 25 years passing on her love of learning to hundreds of students. She was passionate about the value of education for her children as well as for all her students.

She loved to visit her children, play cards, and laugh. She enjoyed an off-color joke, her marvelous flower garden, and pastel colors. She was a dynamite cook and an excellent seamstress, making wonderful doll clothes and dress-up marvels and outfits for her children and their children. But of all things, she was happiest taking care of those she loved. She is preceded in death by her parents Leon and Minnie Mae Sims, her first husband and her lifelong partner Milton "Blackie" Blackwell, her brother William "Bubba" Sims, and her sisters Norma Bloomer, Elizabeth Yunker and Laurel Walker. She is survived by her five children Mildred Sanborn, John Blackwell, Thomas Blackwell, Michael Blackwell and Samantha Gluck as well as 19 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren whom she loved dearly.

A memorial service will be held on August 10 at 10:30 AM. at St. John's Episcopal Church located at 2500 N.10th St. McAllen, Texas. Reception to follow.