With a life well lived, strong and brave, Roberta Marlene "Bobbie" Polinski (Kluck) left us on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 to start her next adventure.
Survived by her very large and adoring family, Roberta will be greatly missed by her husband of 68 years, Donald; her children, Kathryn (Bryan Craig), Michael (Diana), Anne (Darrell Dennahower), Mary Carol (Michael Tibollo) and Elizabeth; her grandchildren, Brianne (Shawn), Adam (Melissa), Joshua (Caitlin), Matthew (Carlie), Hannah (Jonah), Michael, Nicholas (Jessica), Michael (Anderson), Caroline and Jonathan; her great-grandchildren, Jaxxon, Ainsley, Axel and Hailey; her godson, Daniel, caring friend and former son-in-law, Greg; siblings, Ron and Lois; sisters-in-law, Mary Anne and Janet, and a large extended family and innumerable friends who became family, in both the United States and Canada. With love and her deep Catholic faith, Roberta will join her parents, Anthony and Annette; her brother, James; her in-laws, Joseph and Selma; her brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Herman, Kemis, Joseph and Rita; her nephews, Jeffrey and Todd; along with many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins.
Roberta was born on March 19, 1937 in Dunkirk, and in June 1972, she, Donald and their growing family moved to Fort Erie, Ontario, where they were warmly welcomed into the Fort Erie and St. Michael's Church communities, and created a joyous and active life. Roberta was most happy to share and express her pride and love for her family, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her beautiful gardens, her country of birth and her adopted country, her Polish-American heritage, and of course, chocolate. After her kids were grown, Roberta, along with Don, became very involved with the former Fort Erie YMCA as a longtime member, and she joined the YMCA team as a seniors aerobics instructor. St. Michael's Church and the YMCA were the places she made many life-long friends, too many to acknowledge here, but know you were all loved.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Shelley and Doug, Vince and Maria, Fr. Patrick Gilmurray, their new friends and staff at The Willows, Dr. Scher, Marty, the incredible nursing staff at Douglas Memorial Hospital, and her care team at the Walker Cancer Clinic.
Cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place on Saturday, October 3 from 10:00-11:30 AM at Benner Funeral Services in Fort Erie, Ontario, followed by a funeral Mass at 12:00 PM at St. Michael's Church.
Roberta had a few wishes regarding her visitation and funeral mass. In lieu of flowers, she would appreciate instead donations directed to Fort Erie SPCA or Fort Erie Hospice. She also requested that everyone wear bright colors for the services.
And in the words of her favorite artist, "Oh someday girl, I don't know when, we're gonna get to that place where we really wanna go and we'll walk in the sun," Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run."
