Obituary for Georgia J. Pooley (Johnson)
POOLEY - Georgia J. (nee Johnson) Of Buffalo, NY, June 26, 2021, at age 92. Beloved wife of the late Montgomery G. Pooley; loving mother of Georgia “Gigi” Helliwell, Leslie (Michael) Heffernan and Montgomery (Kate) Pooley; devoted grandmother of Montgomery (Jenny) Pooley, Tess (Nate) Santiago, George Heffernan, Abby (Mark Rudovic) Helliwell, Anne Pooley, Will Heffernan and Kara Pooley; dear sister of the late George (Terry) Johnson, Jermain (late Ellis) Anderson and Wolcott “Skip” (late Joan) Johnson; also survived by nieces and nephews. There are no prior visitations. Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, on Saturday, November 06, 2021 at 10:30 AM. Please assemble at church and keep in mind that face coverings are required in the church. Private interment Forest Lawn Cemetery. Donations in Georgia’s memory may be made to the Buffalo Seminary, or the Georgia and Montgomery Pooley Scholarship Fund at Hamilton College. Please share your online condolences @ www.KOLANOFUNERALHOME.com
Feb. 17, 1929 – June 26, 2021
Georgia Johnson Pooley grew up in Buffalo’s high society, then devoted herself to helping others as a teacher, nurse and social activist.
She died June 26 in her longtime home in the Elmwood Village after a period of declining health. She was 92.
Born in Buffalo, she was the daughter of George F. B. Johnson, an industrialist and commodore of the Youngstown Yacht Club, and Isabelle Kahle Johnson, a globe-trotting travel agent.
She attended the Elmwood School and was a 1947 graduate of the Buffalo Seminary. She went on to attend Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn., where she was a classmate of future First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier. She studied ballet, Italian and art history for a year in Boston, Mass., and for two years in Florence, Italy.
Returning to Buffalo, she taught in the Education Department of the Albright Art Gallery and met Montgomery G. “Monty” Pooley, an attorney and nationally ranked squash player, at a social gathering. They were married in 1955.
While raising her three children, she taught in the early childhood program at Westminster Presbyterian Church and served as a church elder. She also was Buffalo Schools PTA president and was active in the CAUSE organization, taking part in marches for equal housing.
When she was 50, Mrs. Pooley earned a nursing degree from the Edna G. Dyett School of Practical Nursing at Millard Fillmore Hospital on Gates Circle, becoming a licensed practical nurse. She served as a nurse at Millard Fillmore and in private duty until she retired at the age of 88.
While she was studying to become a nurse, she also took up running for her health and to build her endurance. She completed the Skylon Marathon, the Cleveland Marathon and the New York City Marathon and ran annually in Buffalo’s Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot until she was in her 80s.
Because of her fitness, she was invited to join a team of University at Buffalo researchers led by Dr. Richard Lee for studies of indigenous peoples in mountainous northern India and Sub-Saharan Africa, which involved long strenuous treks into remote areas. She also visited China to learn about nursing there.
A former member of the board of directors of the Food Bank of Western New York, now FeedMore, she adored dogs and enjoyed summers on Lake Erie and at Blackstone Lake in Ontario’s Parry Sound.
Her husband died in 2009.
Survivors include two daughters, Georgia P. “Gigi” Helliwell and Leslie P. Heffernan; a son, Montgomery G. “Monty” Jr.; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 6 in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, 695 Elmwood Ave.
Feb. 17, 1929 – June 26, 2021
Georgia Johnson Pooley grew up in Buffalo’s high society, then devoted herself to helping others as a teacher, nurse and social activist.
She died June 26 in her longtime home in the Elmwood Village after a period of declining health. She was 92.
Born in Buffalo, she was the daughter of George F. B. Johnson, an industrialist and commodore of the Youngstown Yacht Club, and Isabelle Kahle Johnson, a globe-trotting travel agent.
She attended the Elmwood School and was a 1947 graduate of the Buffalo Seminary. She went on to attend Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn., where she was a classmate of future First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier. She studied ballet, Italian and art history for a year in Boston, Mass., and for two years in Florence, Italy.
Returning to Buffalo, she taught in the Education Department of the Albright Art Gallery and met Montgomery G. “Monty” Pooley, an attorney and nationally ranked squash player, at a social gathering. They were married in 1955.
While raising her three children, she taught in the early childhood program at Westminster Presbyterian Church and served as a church elder. She also was Buffalo Schools PTA president and was active in the CAUSE organization, taking part in marches for equal housing.
When she was 50, Mrs. Pooley earned a nursing degree from the Edna G. Dyett School of Practical Nursing at Millard Fillmore Hospital on Gates Circle, becoming a licensed practical nurse. She served as a nurse at Millard Fillmore and in private duty until she retired at the age of 88.
While she was studying to become a nurse, she also took up running for her health and to build her endurance. She completed the Skylon Marathon, the Cleveland Marathon and the New York City Marathon and ran annually in Buffalo’s Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot until she was in her 80s.
Because of her fitness, she was invited to join a team of University at Buffalo researchers led by Dr. Richard Lee for studies of indigenous peoples in mountainous northern India and Sub-Saharan Africa, which involved long strenuous treks into remote areas. She also visited China to learn about nursing there.
A former member of the board of directors of the Food Bank of Western New York, now FeedMore, she adored dogs and enjoyed summers on Lake Erie and at Blackstone Lake in Ontario’s Parry Sound.
Her husband died in 2009.
Survivors include two daughters, Georgia P. “Gigi” Helliwell and Leslie P. Heffernan; a son, Montgomery G. “Monty” Jr.; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 6 in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, 695 Elmwood Ave.