Pauline Ikel

Pauline “Polly” Coles Haight Burgess Ikel, age 96, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Cottage Grove, Wis., on March 15, 2015. She was born Jan. 25, 1919, to Sena (Sachtjen) and Wilfred Coles in Madison, Wis.

She graduated from Wisconsin High School and went on to get both a B.S. degree in Education and an M.A. degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

After teaching in South Milwaukee, Wis., Polly married and became part-owner of the Bronson (Mich.) Journal, a weekly newspaper, and later the Dickinson (N.D.) Press, a daily newspaper, when she married for a second time. She was the first woman elected to the Dickinson (N.D.) City Council and to be appointed as Police Commissioner.

She also taught English at Dickinson State University and was a substitute teacher at Dickinson High School. With her third husband she moved to Moorhead, Minn., and was a partner in Ikel Sand and Gravel. They later lived for 25 years in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, where she was a partner in Ikel Enterprises. She moved in 2005 to Cottage Grove, Wis., to be near her children.

Polly was active in the Chamber of Commerce in Moorhead, P.T.A., Eastern Star, and P.E.O.; she enjoyed playing bridge, flower gardening, and knitting.

She was an avid Wisconsin Badger fan. She was a church officer in North Dakota, a member of Unity of East Valley in Arizona, and a docent at Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Her love of travel took her all over this country, as well as to China, Russia, and Europe including the Greek Isles, Turkey, Scandinavia, Kenya, Thailand, Chile, Colombia, and Jamaica.

Polly was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Miriam Coles; husband, Alfred Ikel; former husbands, William Haight Jr. and Samuel E. Burgess; and her special friend, Stan Carlson. She is survived by her six children, William Haight III and wife, Nancy of Madison, Cathy Haight and husband, Ken Harmon of Albuquerque, N.M., Judy Herzog Kucera and husband, George Kucera of Laurel, Mont., Deborah Roussos and husband, John of Madison, Barbara Contreras and husband Miguel, of Golden, Colo., and Thomas Burgess of Montana. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A private celebration of Polly’s life will be scheduled at a later date. Donations in her name may be made to Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.