Valerie L. Polk

Valerie Lynette Polk was born in Detroit, Michigan on November
24, 1955. She passed away peacefully while in the care of the hospital
staff at Garden City hospital located in Garden City, Michigan on
January 10, 2021 at the age of 65. Predeceased by her husband
Stonewall Jackson Polk, her parents, Eddie Murrell Jr. and Lillie Jean
Stansbury as well as her daughter Desiree’ Polk, and her brother
Robert L. Dumas.

Valerie lived a full life. Valerie graduated from Mackenzie High
school in 1973 and retired as a nurse’s aid from Westwood Nursing
home in 2016. Valerie believed in God, and was baptized as an
adolescent which at that time she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord
and Savior. Again later in life she felt the calling of the Lord and was
baptized again as an adult. Those that were there as witnesses will
not forget that day because her mother was sort of baptized too
when she felled into the baptismal pool. You wouldn’t have known
this by looking at her, but Valerie was very athletic and had an
interest in sports; such as: golf, track and field where she was a 400
meter runner, and shot putter. She loved golf so much that she ran
away from home to live with her grandmother, so she could
participate in Mackenzie’s after school golf program. She was quite
good, because of her tenacity at that sport it earned her a
scholarship to Ferris State University. While at Ferris State, Valerie
protested against the administration regarding their cafeteria policy,
and was later asked to leave due to someones' accusation that she
had stolen something. When you have lived as Valerie had lived it is
hard to recall all of her interests and talents. At Mackenzie High
School she was a member of the Reserved Officers’ Training Corp.
(ROTC), and a drummer in their marching band. Even though
Valerie was expelled from Ferris State University, it did not dim her
light to fight for others. While employed at Westwood nursing
home she was the union steward for many years until her retirement
from there. To know Valerie you had to know these four things: she
cursed a whole lot, she was a protector, she was comical in a dry
humor sort of way, and that she was generous . . . sometimes at her
own peril. There is one fond memory of Valerie’s track and field days where she had a 400
meter competition, competing against eight high schools. She burst
from the starting block leading the pack until turn one where she
was passed by one runner, then another, then another, and yet
another to the tune of seven until she was dead last at turn two. The
family had cheered her on from the starting block up to turn three
where she had lost so much ground. They held their heads down in
shame believing there was no way for Valerie to recover. Just to
show how much determination Valerie had, she put on the after
burners at turn three and passed one runner, then another, and yet
another and was able to participant in the ribbon ceremony as the
fourth place winner. She leaves to cherish her memory: her daughter
Ashley Polk (Terrell Brown), her four siblings: Eddie (Wilhelmina)
Murrell, Edwin Murrell (DeeDee), Regina (Bruce) Williams, and
Sherry Murrell, sister-in-law Gwendolyn Ware, seven
grandchildren: Diamond and Damien Polk, and Dream Fails,
Aaniyah, Aamorah, Aaliyah, and Aamiah Kerley, two aunts:
Dolores, and her ninety-three year old aunt: Lillie Huckleberry, one
uncle: Michael Murrell, eleven cousins: Taylor, Sherri, Terry, and
Renea Jones, Marcelia, Rufina, and Tarrant Graves, Vida, Michael,
and Martello Allen, and Antonio Murrell, twelve nieces’ and
nephews: Crystal Murrell-Wilson, Ta’bra Burnside, Evelyn Watson,
Myeisha Johnson, (Lil) Gwen Murrell, (Lil) Edwin Murrell, (Lil)
Ashley Williams, Jacoby Dumas, Jaden Dumas, Robert Moore, Erica
Henderson, and Kortni Charles, special friends: Crystal King, and
Kenneth Massengile. She also leaves a horde of second and third
cousins, great nieces’ and nephews, and many; many friends.