Claire Antoinette Morse Polly

October 26, 1922-July 12, 2018

Claire passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 95 on July 12, 2018 with her daughters by her side. A native San Franciscan, she was the daughter of Raymond and Gertrude Morse, the former of Iowa and the latter of Victoria, B.C. An alumna of Roosevelt Junior High School and Washington High School, Claire was a life-long tennis player. She met her husband and future tennis partner Jack Polly in high school. They were married for fifty-eight years.

Claire had a strong intellect and graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in political science. When Jack’s studies at Stanford were interrupted by WW II, he served as an officer at the Presidio of San Francisco where Claire worked at the Veterans Hospital. When he was assigned to the Presidio of Monterey, they fell in love with the area and continued to spend time there for the rest of their lives. They taught their children and grandchildren tennis, golf and an appreciation of nature. She and Jack went on People to People international trips sponsored by the State Department to interface via sports with others from across the world in the name of peace. An Anglophile, she loved doing brass rubbings during her visits to cathedrals in England.

An avid reader, she participated in Great Books while raising her children. She was a gifted artist and shared these skills as a Girl Scout leader for many years. She was very active in her Episcopal Church in San Francisco where she taught Sunday school and was the church librarian. She was a spiritual person and received great comfort from her beliefs.

Claire is preceded in death by her husband and parents, and will be sorely missed by her daughters Sue and Jan, her sons-in-law Edward and John, as well as her grandchildren Bradley, Andrew and James.

Private family services will be held.