Polly Korb

Polly Welch Korb, aged 90, of Dayton OH passed away at her home in South Park after a brief illness. Her daughter and beloved cats were with her.

Polly was born in Yonkers NY in 1934 to Norval “Nonnie” and Lucile (Rawlins) Welch but moved to east Dayton in 1939. In 1947, the family moved to Butler Township where she graduated from Butler High School in 1953. After attending Miami University for two years, she graduated from The Ohio State University in 1957. Soon after, she began teaching 7th and 8th grade English in San Diego CA at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High.

Her time at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High was some of the best in her life. She loved teaching her kids even though she set a high bar. Shocked that they were not able to read, she focused on building their skills. When her grades were deemed “too low”, the principal called her in and even had the curriculum director come visit her. The director told her not to worry because “these [Latino] kids only need to be able to fill out a job application and sign their name”. What saved her were the parents. They saw what a difference she made and fully backed her. She talked about how bright and hard-working those kids were right up to her death.

In 1964, she married Gerald Korb. Moving through several states in the west, they became parents to Amanda and 21 months later, Todd. She ended her marriage in 1976 and returned to Ohio with the children. Managing kids solo while working was not easy, but she never let anyone know that. Every Sunday for years to come was an adventure day – a hike, a museum, a festival, a library visit. With no job market for teachers, she soon went back to school at Bowling Green State University and earned her master’s degree in Technical Communications. After five years at NCR, she moved to her favorite workplace, System Research Labs (SRL). She made dear friends there (Melissa, Marie, Gail, Chuck, and many others) and was known as the “go-to” person for tough writing assignments and as “the office with all the pictures”. When SRL shut down, she moved to Sioux City IA with Amanda, worked at Gateway 2000, and coached a team of young former help-desk technicians how to take their knowledge and put it on paper. Even being 20+ years older, she got along so well with them. One young woman was such a good writer; Mom’s encouragement led her to pursue her college degree in Omaha.

After retiring, she took on the refurbishment of a run-down mid-century with her daughter. So many times, the contractors working on the property or next door would come over to tell her daughter that Polly had outworked them. The home was presented a Beautification Award from the city of Oakwood for her efforts.

Wanting to teach again, she recertified at Wright State University by earning her certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Unfortunately, her brother’s health began to fail, and she pivoted her attention to supporting him through his diabetes and dementia for many years. Even when her own health began to see issues, she never stopped. Her grit got her through breast cancer, back surgeries, and acute diverticulitis. (Special thanks to Drs Greene, Fumich, Tayim, and Pucheril.)

Finally, she and Amanda took on their final project: the renovation of an 1880 home in Historic South Park. She envisioned it and made it a reality – the vibrant historical colors, the repurposing of space, the wonderful wood details, and the reuse of all the historical elements. She literally spent weeks chipped off all the old bathroom tiles for reuse in her new bathroom!

She leaves behind her children, Amanda and Todd, his wife and two children Kylin and Ethan, and her dear cousin, Mary Lou, and leaves a legacy of teaching and encouragement, vision and story-telling, hard work, friendship, and love. Her parents and brother predeceased her. She will be buried with her mother in Riverside Cemetery in West Milton with a family-only graveside service in May 2026. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Ohio’s Hospice, The Nature Conservancy, or Historic South Park Inc.

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