Polly Marie (Dodgen) Williams

Polly Marie Williams, 82, of Eufaula, Alabama, died Saturday, August 10, 2024, at her home.

Memorial services will be held Monday, September 9, 2024, at 11 A.M., at Cross Baptist Church with Rev. Jeff Hines and Rev. Herman Parker officiating and Chapman Funeral Home directing.  The visitation will be held prior to the service from 10 A.M. until 11 A.M. at the church.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lee King Memorial Foundation.

Born December 23, 1941 in LaGrange, Georgia, Mrs. Williams was the daughter of the late William Cass and Dessie B. Simpson Dodgen.

Polly has brought real love and joy to Sam for over 50 years, it took Sam two years to convince her to marry him.  The next 48 plus years have been a journey that could be a best-selling love story.  She was known as Polly “P”, the “P” began after the wedding as Precious but over time she thought it should be for Perfect.  Truthfully, it is both.  Polly was very witty, loves people and never met a stranger.  She was extremely protective of her four children and the ones she loved.

            She was known for her card ministry.  She made and sent cards to cheer up those she knew.  When the card ministry slowed, Polly would be on the phone during the day when Sam was working, calling all of her friends.  Polly loved the outdoors.  When they lived in Belle Glade, Florida, on a good weather day, she and her sister-in-law would take the kids to school and go to the fish camp and take the boat out and fish Lake Okeechobee ‘till school let out.  On rainy days the two of them were in West Palm Beach shopping during school time.  She wrote fishing reports for a Florida fishing magazine.  Polly loved to be involved with the horses, calves, pigs and livestock they had in the Glades.  When they would find orphaned bobcat kittens on the farm, she would nurse and wean them so we could turn them lose for rodent control.

            When they moved to Eufaula, she would stay in the woods riding her golf cart and watching wildlife.  She really liked watching deer and turkey in their back yard.  Watching the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, hummingbirds and other critters in the bird garden were her daily joys. 

            Polly adored her four kids, twelve grandkids and five great grandkids.  She would play with them ‘til she was exhausted.  This began with the first-born grandson over thirty years ago and continued through the Saturday before she went home to be with Jesus.  Gracie cheered her up on her last visit from Florida.

            Polly and Sam started the Lee King Benefit Buddy Tournament in 1999, Polly was already in love with Lee, Tyler and Andrew from church and that relationship grew over the years.  She and Lee had a very special bond.  Jimmy, Melissa and the boys became like family to her.  Our fishermen would look forward to Polly giving out free fishing items at the safety meetings.  Polly came alive when she was around the fishermen.  When she was at Classic tournaments, ICAST and trade shows, she would go around picking up sponsors for our efforts to help fund a cure for Niemann-Pic disease in children.  She met and made friends with some of the big names in the industry like Forrest and Nina Wood, Bill Dance, Ray Scott, Tom and Ann Mann, Orlando Wilson, Scott Suggs, Mark Rose, Derek Yammato, Real Andrews, Jay Yelas and others through the years. 

They began the Black Gold Jubilee Children’s Fishing and Casting Tournament in Belle Glade and ran it for ten years before moving to Eufaula.  She worked hard helping to get it organized and run from one years to the next.  They also did a community gospel sin at the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center at the Junior College four times a year.  She worked tirelessly calling all the local churches and folks lining up all the singers each quarter.  Polly received numerous awards over the years for her hard work on projects she loved.  Son Country Humanitarian Award, honored for her work from the Lee King Benefit Buddy Tournament, Volunteer of the Year from Eufaula Parks and Recreation and Tom Mann Research Angler of the Year numerous years.  Polly adored her church family at Cross Baptist Church.  It was her pure joy to go on Wednesday evenings and Sunday School and Church.  When she could not be in church as her health declined, they would watch it on the computer each Sunday.  There was never a dull moment when she was among her Cross Family.

Survivors include her husband: Sam Williams; her children: James Russell (Sharon) Echols, Kimberly Ann (Kevin) Box, Elizabeth Louise Painter, Todd Jeffrey Williams; 8 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren.

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