R. Lenore Polk Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Ruth Lenore White Polk, age 72, of Austin, TX, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 7, 2016. A Memorial Service will be held at the Rice University Media Center Gallery, 2030 University Ave., Houston, TX, 77005, on February 21, 2016 at 1:00 PM. Lenore was born on November 13, 1943, in Clovis, NM, the daughter of Odell White and Sunshine White Smith. As a young child, her family moved around, following her father's preaching throughout the Southwestern United States. Odell was killed in a car accident on December 24, 1948, and her family settled in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Her mother remarried in 1957, and the family moved to Morton, TX, where Lenore graduated from high school. Lenore attended Texas Tech College in Lubbock, studying speech therapy. Professionally, she was an editor and secretary, primarily working in the Houston Medical Center at Baylor College of Medicine Department of Pediatric Endicronology, University of Texas Nursing School, and St. Luke's Hospital. She edited and typed grant proposals and medical journals, worked in a public affairs office, and was a pioneer of bringing computers and office technology into her workplace. She was a mother who had a passion for crafts, sewing, cooking, and most of all, baking. She baked a three-tiered cake for her daughter's wedding in 1992. Lenore was also a musician, singing throughout her life. She participated in the Houston chapter of Sweet Adelines, and in the First Presbyterian Church Choir of Houston. Lenore was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her brother, Herschel White of Ft. Worth (Barbara), her children, Sydney Polk of Austin (Jade), and Krista Bartel of Houston (Bob), three grandchildren (Cullen, Elizabeth, and Thomas), two nephews (Kennen, Alan), and a niece (Amy). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Lenore's name be made to the American Lung Association (http://www.lung.org), 2030 N. Loop W #250, Houston, TX, 77018, ph. (713) 629-5864.