Joliet woman's legacy continues through grandkids

Pollyana Logan of Joliet raised 11 children, hoping to accomplish two goals. She wanted them to be assets to society and to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.

Through this deliberate and systematic approach, Pollyana created a legacy for living well that continues through her grandchildren.

Everyone finished high school; others pursed higher education even though Pollyana herself attended Joliet Central High School only through the 11th grade. Some own businesses. Others work in health care and the arts. No one ever broke the law or had a child out of wedlock.

"Lying was unacceptable. Mediocrity was unacceptable," said Patsy Withers of Joliet, one of Pollyana's daughters and a high school dropout who later obtained a math degree at Lewis University in Romeoville and a master's degree in Bible studies from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. "She taught us to be givers and not takers, to contribute and not to absorb. Nothing is free, that was her motto. You can have anything you want if you're willing to work at it."

Pollyana was 94 when she died Sept. 19.

The roots of Pollyana's values are in her Alabama birth family, which included a strict father, a devoted mother, seven sisters and one brother. She married John Humphrey Logan (deceased) and raised his daughter -- Jane Marion of Texas -- with the identical love she showered on her biological children. Pollyana was proud of her heritage and shared that history with her children.

"She believed in blood line. She wanted us to know who we are and whose we are," Patsy said. "She told all sorts of stories, which we passed on to our children."

Through the years, Pollyana created experiences for her children to add to that cache of stories. She gathered her children around the large dining room table for lavish meals, for Bible study and to review every piece of homework.

She introduced her children to the arts, shunned television for reading, and taught practical life skills, such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, canning and frugality. This farmer's wife was not afraid of hard work and encouraged her children to embrace it, too.

"But she was always loving," Patsy said. "She made our Christmases magical. Everybody had oodles of toys and clothing -- everything we needed -- because she bought things all yearlong. We learned to get along with each other, to agree to disagree."

Patsy's father did the cooking and made wine from his grape vines; Pollyana did the baking. Many summer breakfasts consisted of walking out onto their 100-acre farm -- salt shaker in hand -- to eat corn, beans, green tomatoes, greens, onions and strawberries right from the ground.

But all sublime accomplishments come at a price.

"My mother loved the piano, but she only played it at home," Patsy said. "That was a dream she gave up because she valued her family more. She never felt she was shortchanged because she was called to higher roles: wife, mother, homemaker and, most importantly, a child of Christ."

If you would like to see someone featured in An Extraordinary Life, contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815- 467-5249 or artemis279@aol.com