Pauline (Polly) Turley Morgan King, age 91, died peacefully on May 25, 2024, at her home surrounded by family and loved ones. Visitation will be Friday, May 31, from noon– 2:00 p.m. at Leighton Methodist Church. The funeral service will immediately follow at the church with Bradley Hipps, Mike Rosser, and Roderick Stansky officiating. Interment will be in King Cemetery, Leighton.
Polly was born on January 11,1933 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the only child of Jesse Seaton Morgan and Frances Brown Morgan. She grew up in Franklin, Tennessee. Her mother died when she was 11 years old. Ten years later her father was remarried to Josephine Wilson, and she acquired a stepmother and a stepsister, Tootsie, whom she adored.
Polly attended high school at Ward-Belmont Preparatory School in Nashville. She continued her education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia with a B.A. in English. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
A few weeks after graduation, on June 25,1955, Polly married her high school sweetheart, Jimmy, and moved to El Paso, Texas where he was stationed in the U.S. Army. The following year they returned to Jimmy’s hometown, Leighton, Alabama, where they resided for the rest of her life. Polly and Jimmy were one month short of being married for 69 years.
Polly lived a good life as a farmer’s wife, mother of three daughters, and homemaker until her daughter’s started college. At the age of 45, she became the librarian at the Leighton Public Library. She worked there for 37 years, (1978-2015), until she was 82 years old. She had a deep devotion to serving the community through the library. She was an avid reader and lover of the written word. Polly had a passion for helping each person find the perfect book no matter their age. She strove to instill a love for reading in all the young children who came to visit the library. She helped form the Friends of the Library group which took great pride in its yearly bake sale to raise money, in which all the best cooks in town contributed. She took great joy in her friends, family and the people she met throughout her life.
Polly was an active member of the Muscle Shoals District Service League and an active and longtime member of the Leighton United Methodist Church. Polly and Jimmy were instrumental in the founding of the Saddle Up for St. Jude Trail Ride, which has raised money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the past 28 years.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her stepmother. She is survived by her husband, James Briscoe King; her three daughters, Ann Jones, Sally (Mike)Rosser, and Allison (John Berkeley) Remsburg; five grandchildren, Laura Rosser, Morgan (Alex) Jones, Jessy Remsburg, James Rosser, and Rebecca Remsburg; one great-grandson, Brayden Remsburg; and her stepsister, Josephine (Ed) Morton.
Pallbearers will be Morgan Jones, James Rosser, Ben King, Lawrence King, Gordon Fennel, and Rick Preuit. Brayden Remsburg will serve as honorary pallbearer.
The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to her kind and compassionate caregivers, Kim, Tina, Haley, Robbin, Amanda, and many others over the years that took such wonderful care of her.
Memorials may be given to the Leighton Public Library and Civic Center, 8740 Main Street, Leighton, Alabama 35646.
Please visit morrisonfuneralhomes.com to leave tributes and condolences for the family.
