Ruby “Polly” Pauline Maxey
1934-2024
Polly Maxey, long time resident of Tishomingo, passed away peacefully in Edmond, Oklahoma on August 22, 2024 at the age of 90.
Ruby Pauline “Polly” Rice was born April 8, 1934, in Aylesworth, Oklahoma to Bruce Lee and Ora Emma (Duncan) Rice. She lived in Aylesworth (now under Lake Texoma) until the age of 8 when her family moved to Little City, Oklahoma. She was the fifth of six children with a host of extended family close by. She learned the value of hard work by watching her parents as they did whatever they could to provide for their family. The family picked cotton, Ora sold eggs, butter and took in ironing and Bruce farmed and worked in the oil field among other things. They didn’t have much in terms of material things, but they did have a whole lot of love and family was everything to them. She graduated from Madill High School in 1951 and left home the next day to get a job and be on her own. In 1954 she met her future husband, Keith Maxey, while he was home on leave from the Army. They married the next year, July 29th, 1955, and were married 47 years before he died in 2002.
Polly and Keith lived most of their lives in Tishomingo where they owned Maxey Insurance and Real Estate Agency for over 30 years. Polly ran the insurance agency and Keith did the real estate. She did whatever she could to help their customers, the community and the school. She loved to work and being busy just came naturally to her. She moved to Edmond in 2014 to be close to family. We are so thankful she did.
Always a supportive wife to Keith and a model mom to Dawna, Brian and Bruce, Polly worked at home for many years raising their family and running their home. From Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, to making lunches for us and our friends, taking us to wherever we needed to go and being sure we had everything we needed, she was always there for us, and we knew she had our back. Family was always a priority for her and some of her favorite times were with her brothers and sisters, kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Polly’s seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren always brought a smile to her face. Of all the hats she has worn, being “Grammy” was, by far, her favorite.
Polly is preceded in death by her parents, Bruce and Ora Rice and five siblings. She leaves behind one sister, Wendy Whatley of Durant, her niece, Lynn Weaver of OKC, her daughter, Dawna Nelson and husband Robert of Edmond, OK son ,Brian Maxey and wife Becky of Broken Arrow, OK and son Bruce Maxey and wife Christy of Mead, CO; grandchildren Katie Nelson of Edmond, OK, Liz Laughlin of Colorado Springs, CO, Chad Nelson of Edmond, OK, Jared Maxey of Tulsa, OK Lauren Krutz of Coweta, OK, Kyle Maxey of Las Vegas, NV and Elise Emerson of Englewood, CO; ten great-grandchildren and many, many special friends.
Visitation will be held from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, August 25, 2024 at Matthews Funeral Home Edmond, OK. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, August 26, 2024 at Tishomingo City Cemetery Tishomingo, OK.
“So, we fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18