Polly Vecchione

Polly Vecchione passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on November 11, 2017 at the age of 82. She had suffered from Parkinson’s over the last several years. She lived in West Caldwell with Frank Vecchione, her husband of 60 years. Visiting hours will be held on Friday November 17, from 3-7pm at Caggiano Memorial, 62 Grove St, Montclair. Friends and family are invited to attend a Funeral service at the funeral home on Saturday November 18, at 11am. Please visit her book of memories at caggianomemorial.com
She was born Polly Plaisted on February 26, 1935 in Penn Yan, New York, to Charles Maxwell Plaisted and Virginia Turner Plaisted. Her mother was a nurse and her father was an artist and professor at Keuka College. He was also a pioneer in pulp comics during the 1930s and ‘40s, working under the name “Clayton Maxwell”. Polly was very close with her father and got her creativity and quirky sense of humor from him. She attended Syracuse University, from which she graduated with a B.A. in Communications, and where she met her husband, Frank Vecchione, who is a partner at the Gibbons Law Firm in Newark, NJ.
Polly was a devoted wife and mother and a loyal friend. She was a truly giving and selfless person, universally loved by everyone she met. She took a genuine interest in others, was kind and encouraging, and never missed an occasion to send a “thank you” note or thoughtful or funny card.
She loved to entertain friends and family with elaborate meals and made the holidays magical for her children and grandchildren with clever gifts, scavenger hunts, and other special touches.
She loved animals, both wild and domestic, and they were drawn to her too. She loved flowers and grew beautiful gardens around her homes. An avid reader, she had a passionate interest in English history and followed the NY Times Bestseller List with great enthusiasm.
Polly was recognized as an extraordinary volunteer in Glen Ridge, where she raised her children, and instilled in them the importance of giving back to their community. Despite the challenges of coping with Parkinson’s, she never lost her sense of humor and always put others first. She was accepting of all types of people, a very cool grandmother, and a wonderful, kind soul.
Survivors include her husband Frank, her children Amy Vecchione and her partner Tim Goplerud of Glen Ridge, NJ; Carrie Vecchione, her husband Rolf Erdahl and their children, Ada and Ella, of Apple Valley MN; Jennifer and Robert Portman of Oceanport, NJ and their children, Emily, Jon and Abby of Burlington, VT; and Matt and Maria Vecchione and their children, Nicholas and Alec of Glen Ridge, NJ; and her sister, Jane Plaisted Davis of Gainesville, FL.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
(www.michaeljfox.org) or Bat Conservation International
(www.batcon.org). Why did she love bats? Because they are important, threatened, misunderstood, everywhere, and cool. She was a champion of underdogs.