Ione E. Polley, age 88

Kandiyohi
August 19, 1931 - June 6, 2020

Ione E. Polley, age 88, of Kandiyohi, passed away Saturday evening, June 6, at the Regina Assisted Living Center in Hastings.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, June 11, at the Church of St. Mary in Willmar.  Interment was at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery in Kandiyohi.  

Ione Eileen (Glenn) Dowdell Polley was born on August 19, 1931, to John and Agnes (Mathies) Glenn in Spooner, Wisconsin.  She grew up in Cold Spring, MN. and graduated from St. Cloud Tech in 1949.  She then attended nurses school but did not finish at that time.  Ione married Gerald “Bud” Dowdell on June 21, 1952 in Rockville, MN. and they settled on their farm north of Atwater.  They were married until his death in January of 1964.  Ione married Milton Polley on December 16, 1966.  They lived northeast of Kandiyohi on their farm for many years.  After Milts death in June of 2002, she continued living there.   She enjoyed reading, gardening, traveling and spending time with her family.  In her 40’s she attended the Willmar Vo-Tech to become an LPN and then began working at Rice Memorial Hospital.  A couple of years later she attended the Willmar Community College and earned her RN degree.  She continued working at Rice Memorial until her retirement in 2000.  Ione always said that going back to school was one of the best things she ever did.  She truly loved being a nurse.

She is survived by her four children, Deborah (and Thomas) Borgren of Duluth, Kathryn (and Ron) Garner of Atwater, Gerald (and Debra) Dowdell of Atwater and Mary (and Brian) Schommer of Hastings; nine grandchildren, Leah Borgren, Thomas Borgren, Katelyn (and Jeremy) Johnstone, Michael (and Cory Bauer) Garner, Emily (and Jeff) Wilson, Andrew Dowdell, Laura (and Jakob) Carlson, Marisa Schommer and Brett Schommer; eight great grandchildren, Hunter and Lily Wilson, Selma Olson, Jack Johnstone, Sophia and August Dowdell, Jayden Gulke and Audrey Carlson; and five siblings, Richard (and Bev) Glenn of St. Michael, Delrose Willard of Rockville, Jana Grams (and Linie Ramler) of St. Cloud, Sylvan Grams of Long Prairie and  Gary (and Mary) Grams of  Rockville, besides other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; both husbands, Bud and Milt; one brother, Dennis Grams and one grandson, Jim Garner.