Polly, as she was known to her many friends and family, went home to be with the Lord on March 22, 2007, after an extended battle with cancer. She was lovingly cared for in her last weeks by her sons, who were with her when she died. Polly was born in Portland on March 2, 1939, to Paul Frank and Wilhelmina Louise (Boehrig) Jones.
She graduated from Franklin High School in 1956 and went on to graduate from Puget Sound College of the Bible in 1961. She married Corwin Clyde Smith on Oct. 29, 1966. Throughout her life, Polly worked for churches in Oregon and Washington. Her ministry evolved from church secretary to music minister, minister to senior citizens, and music teacher. For the past 10 years she was employed at West Seattle Christian Church and school; prior to that, she worked for 25 years at St. John's Christian Church in Portland.
Polly was blessed with an amazing gift of music and was known throughout the Northwest for her piano playing and singing. She spent many years sharing her gift at the Oregon Christian Convention in Turner and at Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp on the Oregon coast. She also directed many church musicals, especially at Christmas. Polly was a kind and generous spirit, who shared her love with everyone around her. She served the Lord with gladness and her faith was a testimony to many others, even throughout her own illness.
She is survived by her husband, Corwin Smith, of Seattle; her sons, Kenyon (Wendy) Smith of Coquille and Randal Smith of Philadelphia; her step-children, Cory (Ruth) Smith of Westminster, Calif., and Vanessa (Felton) Warner of Portland; and her grandchildren, Noah, Timothy, Jacob and Carlee Jo Smith of Coquille, and Cory and Natalie Smith of Westminster. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Ernie Jones.
Memorial services are planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31 in St. John's Christian Church in Portland and at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 1 in West Seattle Christian Church in Seattle. Memorial gifts may be made to the West Seattle Christian Church Building Fund, Puget Sound Christian College, or the Oregon Christian Convention.
