of Raleigh, NC
June 28, 1937 - June 14, 2020
Polly Patricia Goatcher (82) passed away in her Raleigh, North Carolina home on Sunday, June 14, 2020. She was born on June 28, 1937 in Whitton, Arkansas to Judge Philip J. Deer and Pearl Polly Deer of Blytheville, Arkansas. Polly graduated from Arkansas State University with a degree in Elementary Education. It was here that she met her future husband, Roy Nicholas Goatcher Jr. (Nick) whom she wed in the summer of 1960. They shared two sons: Roy Nicholas Goatcher III and Philip Joseph Goatcher.
Polly worked as a teacher most of her life. She earned her Master's Degree and worked as a Montessori School teacher at Faxon Montessori in Kansas City, Missouri until her retirement in 2006. She was an avid reader and instilled the love of reading in her kids. She loved her job and her students!!
There was one thing that Polly loved more than anything and that was being a grandmother. She is the grandmother to Carson (14), Andrew (12), Jack (10), and Bentley (8) Goatcher of Raleigh, NC. Her grandsons were her pride and joy and you better get ready for her to brag when asked about them in conversation. It was because of her desire to watch her grandchildren grow up that she made the difficult decision to move from Kansas City to North Carolina in the summer of 2015. Polly spent the last five years enjoying life with her family.
Polly loved a party! Birthday and Christmas celebrations were some of her very favorite events as well as playing bridge and socializing with her many friends at Magnolia Glen. She loved to attend her grandson's many activities whenever she was able. In recent months, due to quarantine restrictions, she spent many days on Facetime listening to her grandsons read to her as a part of their remote learning routine. She was a loving and positive spirit who brought joy and happiness to all that knew her!
Polly is preceded in death by her parents, Judge Philip J. Deer and Pearl Polly Deer; her husband Roy Nicholas Goatcher Jr.; her son Roy Nicholas Goatcher III.
Surviving are her son Philip Joseph Goatcher (Joe) wife Emily, and their four sons: Carson, Andrew, Jack, and Bentley Goatcher of Raleigh, NC; brother Dr. Philip James Deer Jr. and wife Florence of Little Rock, AR; and many nieces and nephews and their families.
Graveside services will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery in Batesville, Arkansas on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 starting at 2:00 pm under the direction of Roller-Crouch Funeral Home with Jonathan Moore officiating. In lieu of flowers that family asks that you consider donating to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
We are complying with the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines and social distancing will be observed.