Thursday, January 11, 2024
Remembrance of Polly Fountain
From Sharon Fountain
January 11, 2024
I’ve known Polly nearly all my life. Polly was married to my brother, John Byron Fountain. She babysat for me, probably when Byron was tasked with that duty, but Polly ended up actually doing the job. I have fond memories of her letting me eat junk food I didn’t ordinarily get and going to hockey games back when Syracuse had a hockey team (the Blazers, if you’re interested).
My understanding is that Byron met Polly at a department store where they both worked and they dated for some period of time after Byron came home from the Vietnam War. When they were married, I was in elementary school. Polly gave my mother a beautiful dress that she no longer wore and my mother cut it down to size for me to wear to the wedding. It was made of lace and had a pink taffeta lining. As I recall, my mother worked hard on it, did a great job, and the dress fit perfectly on me. It was, in a way, a connection between me and Polly.
One of my other very clear memories of that wedding is that some of our relatives were very surprised at how short Polly’s wedding dress was and they worried that the Catholic Church wouldn’t allow it. “Mini” dresses were popular at the time. Polly’s choice of dress prevailed. She looked great.
I will always remember Polly as a fun, down-to-earth person with a great laugh, who loved playing with her dogs and cats, spending time with family and friends, and who made my brother happy. In her middle years, she enjoyed running, especially with her mother (who also was a runner), and she was proud of her job in insurance and her other accomplishments. She seemed to me to be a person who didn’t worry too much about fitting in or being judged by others. She was comfortable being herself.
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