Pauline "Polly" Joscelyn

Pauline “Polly” Joscelyn (née Cook), 88, of Beavercreek, OH went to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. She was born February 28, 1938, in Spencer County, KY, the daughter of the late Arthur Edward and Loshia Hall Cook. She was preceded in death besides her parents by brothers Rual Cook, Herbert “Jake” Cook, Arthur “Jiggs” Cook, William Cook, and sisters Floya Shemwell, Sue Gibbs, Betty Hornbeck, and two siblings who died in infancy. She was previously married to William Adams and later to Claude “Josh” Joscelyn, both of whom preceded her in death.

She is survived by her children Dean Adams (Jean), Chris Adams, and Melanie Rench (Michael). She is the grandmother of Alex Adams (Ellen), Zachary Adams (Tatiana), Matthew Adams (Morgan), Noah Adams (Stacy), and Rebekah Adams, and the great-grandmother of James and George Adams.

Despite contracting polio at age 16, she was continuously determined to do things for herself. She was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated from high school in 1957. She had a successful career working for various psychiatrists in Louisville, KY, plastic surgeons in Chattanooga, TN, and the Psychoanalytic Institute in St. Louis, MO, before stopping work to raise her 3 children, ultimately as a single mother. She returned to the workforce in her mid-forties, taught herself how to work on computers, and worked as an office manager for two psychiatrists, a medical billing specialist for University Medical Services Association, and an office manager for an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program for Consumer Advocacy Model, all in Dayton, OH. She retired in 2002.

She was a member of and the church secretary for Cherry Hill Baptist Church and a member of First Baptist Church of Kettering in Dayton, OH. She enjoyed singing as a first soprano in choirs since she was a teenager. She sewed many of her own clothes when she was a young lady, sewed clothing for her children, and continued to sew throughout her life, including with her daughter. Being an avid crocheter, she made hundreds of afghans that she gave away to family and friends. She also taught herself to quilt and presented many to family members. Genealogy intrigued her and she documented many family trees for extended family and friends.

She called her kids “her life”, always putting them first above herself. Deservingly, she found love later in life with her second husband, Josh Joscelyn. They were devoted to each other, taking care of each other during multiple illnesses, until he passed away in 2022. Despite battling multiple rounds of cancer and other illnesses, she always kept her faith in Christ first and foremost in her heart, prayed for others, and urged her family to stay close to Jesus.

Her family will miss her deeply.

Visitation will be held from 10:00am-11:00am, on Friday, May 29, 2026, at First Baptist Church of Kettering, 3939 Swigart Road, Beavercreek, where the Funeral Services will begin at 11:00am. Burial will follow at Mt. Zion Park Cemetery, Beavercreek.

Donations may be made in Pauline's memory to the Alzheimer's Association of Dayton, Miami Valley Chapter, 31 Whipp Rd., Dayton, Ohio, 45459.

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