Polly Ann (Soderstrom) Mikkola

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Polly Ann (Soderstrom) Mikkola, 77, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2018, at Manor Care West in Green Bay.

She was born May 29, 1940, to the late Carl Soderstrom and Phyllis (Haskins) Soderstrom. Polly grew up in Merriweather, Mich., and graduated from Bergland High School in 1959. She enjoyed her residency at Mason Manor in Green Bay for 20-plus years.

Polly was a single mom and raised three children. Polly had a big heart. She was a Sunday school teacher at her local church. She made numerous afghans for charity and she volunteered at Encompass, reading to kids and helping with arts and crafts.

Polly always had a big smile on her face and was always cracking jokes with everyone. If she was giving you a hard time, that always meant she liked you. She always looked forward to seeing friends and family, whether she knew someone for five minutes or 50 years, she was able to make someone laugh. No matter the challenges, Polly always had the best attitude.

Polly's favorite hobbies were knitting and crocheting. Polly also enjoyed sports. As her daughters were growing up she enjoyed watching them play high school and college basketball. Polly was also an avid Green Bay Packers fan and watched the UW-Green Bay women's basketball team. She always looked forward to getting updates from her family.

Polly had a love for animals, especially cats. Through the years, she always had cats and along with a parakeet named JoJo, which - with some persistence - Polly taught how to talk. She also taught her cat, Patches, to fetch bubble gum and would hug on demand.

Polly is survived by her sister, Elsie (Jim) Fanslau; three children, Mark Mikkola, Dawn (Gary) White and Jodi (Ray) Forstrom; grandchildren, Casey (Bud) White, Emily Forstrom, Mackenzie and Katie Fredrickson; and one great-granddaughter, Nadia Killoran.

She is preceded in death by her parents.

A Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, April 7, at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens, 2600 Larsen Road in Green Bay. Visitation is from 1 to 3 p.m., with the memorial service following from 3 to 3:30.

Arrangements are being handled by Simply Cremation, 243 N. Broadway, Green Bay, WI 54303. Visit simplycremationgb.com to share a memory. The family requests any flowers to be delivered to the Botanical Gardens and any donations can be mailed to Simply Cremation.

Polly's family would like to thank the staff at Manor Care West, which had a joyful time with her, and also Compasses Hospice Care.