Pauline Murphy, 94

BELMONT — Pauline "Polly" (Edmands) Murphy, 94, of Mountain View Terrace, died at the Belknap County Nursing Home on Monday, April 3.

Polly was born on Nov. 6, 1928, in Tilton. She was the daughter of the late Keith and Gertrude (Atkinson) Edmands.

She graduated from Belmont High School and Laconia Business School. She and her husband Thomas were married on Aug. 17, 1947.

Polly was kept busy raising six daughters, but did work part-time at both Weeks Dairy Bar and Double Decker. She retired from First NH Bank in 1990 after being employed there for almost 25 years.

Polly was a member of the Belmont Baptist Church for many years holding various roles, including historian, belonging to the Ladies Circle hosting their annual Christmas party, and was considered the “Matriarch” of the church. The church named their food pantry, Polly’s Pantry, in her honor. She was also a former member of the Fire Belles, affiliated with the Belmont Fire Department while her dad was a volunteer fireman. Mom was also a member of the Friendly Club (town women’s group) that met to play Bid Whist.

Polly enjoyed taking painting classes with Ted Ray of Gilford for many years, both oil and acrylic, canvas or slate, and continued painting until recently. All of the families’ homes showed evidence of that. She and Aunt Pat could always surprise her children with the costumes they came up with each Halloween. Her children never knew what to expect until they rang the doorbell.

She was a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, often staying up until the very end of a game. Mom always humored us and acted surprised when each April Fools’ Day we would call her to tell her there was a spider on her back. Mom and Dad spent several years traveling to Arizona during the winter months. They were also very fortunate to have traveled to Ireland, where our grandfather was born.

Survivors include her six daughters, Colleen Lines, Jerilyn Merrill, Pamela Murphy, Susan (Joe) Rhodes, Jeanne (Rob) Murphy-Dwyer and Janet (David) Lamb; eight grandchildren, Heidi, Ryan, Thomas, Sarah, Tayler, Ross, Christine and Amy; seven great-grandchildren, Ryan, Adelaide, Ethan, Haley, Delilah, Lukas and Charlotte; two sisters, Pamela Bilodeau and Penny Foley. In addition to her parents, Mom was predeceased by our dad, Thomas Murphy, and her sister, Patricia Crockett.

There will be no calling hours.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, April 12, at 1 p.m., at the Belmont Baptist Church. Pastor Andy will officiate.

Burial will be private at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Belmont Baptist Church, 49 Church St., Belmont, NH 03220.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, visit wilkinsonbeane.com.