Pauline “Polly” Speights Tuck died peacefully on Jan. 28. She was 91.
Pauline Tuck, 91, died on Jan. 28. Her funeral will be held on April 15 in Virginia, and a celebration of her life will take place on May 13.
A Richmond, Virginia native, Polly was married for 60 years to her high school sweetheart, Franklin D. Tuck, who passed away in 2013. She raised her family in Richmond, Berwyn, Pennsylvania and her beloved Noroton Bay in Darien.
A proud Virginian who never lost her accent, Polly and Frank retired to Virginia Beach where she remained a longtime North End resident before moving in January 2022 to New Jersey to be near her children, grandchildren and spouses.
Polly worked for IBM in Richmond before starting her family in 1957. Over the years she was socially and civically active wherever she lived, and could be found volunteering with the Darien Community Association, serving on the Darien Beautification Commission, St. Luke’s Altar Guild, Children’s Aid Society, and as a devoted member of the Galilee Episcopal Church and Princess Anne Country Club, to name a few.
She was fun-loving and fun to be with. Polly never met a beach she didn’t love while she warmed under bright sun and blue sky. If dance music was playing, she was ready to go. She most loved Moon River played under soft lights by a fire.
Polly was tenacious and when she set her mind to something, she just didn’t quit. As many have said, she was a “force” of nature and is best remembered for two simple reasons:
She was a great listener, and if Polly Tuck was your friend, you had a devoted and caring friend who always would want to know about you. The line is very long of those who enjoyed her special friendship.
Most important, Polly was a fiercely loyal and loving mother and grandmother, whose gift to her family was to ensure you knew just how much she loved you, always and forever.
Polly Tuck was “one of a kind” to her family and to all who knew her. The world will be a little less colorful without her.
She is survived by her son, Franklin Scott Tuck and his wife, Laurie S. Tuck of Darien; her daughter, Harriet Tuck Snyder, and Harriet’s husband, John H. Snyder of Mantoloking, New Jersey; her niece, Alison B. Hetzer, and Alison’s husband John R. Hetzer of Richmond, Virginia; her grandsons, Scott H. (and wife, Catherine) Snyder and Frederick Scott (Scotty) Tuck; her granddaughters, Meredith T. (and husband, Harrison) Dorne, Clare D. Tuck, Paige J. Tuck and Caroline A. Snyder; and her great-nephew, John A. Hetzer.
A Memorial Columbarium Service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 15, 2023 at Galilee Episcopal Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia. A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m., May 13 at St. Luke’s Parish, Darien.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation in Memory of Pauline S. Tuck, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306; and/or the Galilee Episcopal Church, Rectors Discretionary Fund, 3928 Pacific Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
— This obituary was previously published the Darien Times on Legacy.com, where online condolences may be left.