Kay Olive Engen Polk's Obituary
Kay Olive Engen Polk was born December 3, 1932 in Ambrose, North Dakota and passed away peacefully December 17, 2023, surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vera and Otto Engen, her brother, Gene Engen, and her daughter, Carla Gayle Polk.
Kay's father, Otto, served as an Immigration Officer and in the Border Patrol, taking the family to various towns, mostly in Montana and frequently along the Canadian border. Her parents instilled in her a lifelong love of travel and the mountains of the Northwest. She attended High School in Walla Walla, Washington and in Helena, Montana where she graduated in 1950.
She loved and excelled at school and, even as a child, possessed an independent and adventurous spirit. She and a High School girlfriend ventured to Vancouver, Chicago and Washington D.C. On one of their trips, they were present to greet and join in the celebration of Eisenhower's return from Europe. During this time, Kay worked at a small business and managed the records department, indulging her love of music, and then worked at the airport where she obtained a pilot's license long before getting her driver's license.
It was in Helena where she met her former husband, Norman Polk, who was stationed there in the Air Force. After a whirlwind romance, they were married in 1955. As newlyweds, they enjoyed friends and the Rocky Mountain outdoors. In the summer of 1956, they moved to McNeil, Arkansas, Norman's hometown, where daughters Teresa and Carla were born. In 1958, the family moved to Warren, Arkansas and opened Norm's Furniture City. Lynden and Jaime were born there. These were busy years, raising four children, including Carla, who was severely handicapped. While enjoying a robust social life and creating enduring friendships, Kay was an amazing mother, devoted to her family and their struggling business. She always found time to read to her children, instilling a lifelong love of books and reading, and she shared her love of music. Despite the challenges, she often said those were among the happiest, best years of her life. Kay learned from her mother that happiness was a choice, and she instilled this lesson in her children by living it.
Kay's parents, en route to visit the family, discovered Rogers and Beaver Lake and retired there in 1968. Kay and Norman subsequently recognized the growing opportunities in the area and decided to move their family and business to Rogers in 1969. This was yet another culture change. In Rogers, her family loved living on the lake.
Kay embraced her new home where she joined Junior Auxiliary and later served as Secretary in a local PEO chapter. She was a shining example of a charitable, empathetic spirit, participating in numerous volunteer positions and charities including Meals on Wheels and Single Parent Scholarship. As a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church, she served in numerous capacities, including as an Elder and as Chairwoman of the Outreach Committee. Concurrently, she worked at "the store" and was an integral part of the family business.
In 1995, she retired and focused more on her volunteer work, travel and hobbies. She was an avid reader and loved her games! You didn't play with Kay unless you were prepared for a competition! She enjoyed duplicate bridge and numerous card and board games. She loved the arts and exploring other cultures, traveling to Germany, Paris, Australia and New Zealand and to her paternal family's hometown of Namsos, Norway. Additionally, she loved the beach and trips to New England and Colorado to visit her daughters.
Kay will be remembered as a loving Mother and Grandmother, and as a "GGP" - a Great Game Player. We will miss our fun-loving Mom, and we hope to carry on the lifelong lessons she gave us forever.
Kay is survived by her children Teresa Roorda, Lynden (Becky) Polk, Jaime (Stephen Van Ness) Polk and her grandchildren Jason Polk, Chris (Tiffany) Polk, Tara (Patrick) O'Keefe, Ethan (Catherine) Van Ness, Gabriel Van Ness and Michael Van Ness, her great grandchildren Jackson Forslund and Cooper O'Keefe. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM December 27 at the First Presbyterian Church in Rogers. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kay's memory at The Samaritan Community Center PO Box 939 Rogers AR 72757https://www.samcc.org/donate/ or Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter 860 NW Vaughn Road, Bentonville, AR 72713 https://nwacs.org/donate/.
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