Thora Pauline (Polly) Larsen appeared on the census of 1920 in the household of
Alfred Christian Larsen and
Else Marie Larsen in 3501 Adams Street, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, which lists Alfred C. Larsen, 38, born in Denmark; his wife Marie E. Larsen, 35, also born in Denmark; and their children Margaret A., 13, born in North Dakota, Oda L., 10, born in Wyoming, Evelyn R., born in Colorado, Pauline, 4 & 2/12, born in Colorado, and Thomas A., 1 & 10/12, born in Colorado.
2 Thora Pauline (Polly) Larsen appeared on the census of 1930 in the household of Alfred Christian Larsen and Else Marie Larsen in 2648 Josephine, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, which lists Arthur [sic, Alfred] C. Larsen, 48, born in Denmark; his wife Marie, 46, also born in Denmark; their children Oda, 20, born in Wyoming, Evelyn, 18, born in Colorado, Pauline, 14, born in Colorado, Thomas, 12, born in Colorado, and Irvin [sic], 5; and Marie's sister Ann P. Arno [sic, apparently Arnold], 44, born in Denmark.
3 Her Social Security Number was 523-07-5922, issued before 1951 in Colorado.
1 Her husband,
Rollin, died on 20 May 1982 at age 80, leaving her a widow. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
Thora Pauline (Polly) Larsen lived in Palm Desert, Riverside County, California, In 2000, Polly Usher lived at 39246 Moronga Canyon Drive, Palm Desert, California 92260; telphone: 619?-568-3007. According to the Social Security Death Index, Thora's last residence was in Rancho Mirage, Riverside County, California.
1 Usher, Polly Polly Usher, 92, died peacefully in Palm Desert on March 31, 2008. She is survived by her daughter, Wendy Wheaton-Johnson; two granddaughters, Erika Wheaton-Hudson and Michelle Wheaton. Her husband, Rollin Usher, banker and pilot, preceded her in death. Polly was a resident of Palm Desert Greens, avid golfer, bridge player, and attended St. Margaret's Church in Palm Desert. Polly was regarded by many in the Aviation field as "Aviatrix Extraordinaire". Her flying career as well as that of her husband began in Cortez, CO. They owned and operated the Cortez, CO. Airport, where she gave flying lessons. Polly was the first woman in that area to obtain an Instructor's License. During World War II, working with the U.S. Government, she trained many flight cadets. Polly's passion for flight included flying film crews to view set locations throughout the west, flying such celebrities as John Wayne and Glenn Ford during the early black and white film movie era. The Smithsonian Institution National Aviation and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. honored her by placing her name on their prestigious wall. Later Southwest Airlines in one of its monthly guides in 2003 published Polly Usher's photo alongside one of her aircraft as it appeared at the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum. Locally, Polly is listed along with her biography at the PS Air Museum, and spoke about her adventures before the Old Bold Pilots Group. During her retirement in Palm Desert, Polly volunteered at Eisenhower Hospital. She then began work on her book "Flying Joyfully, The Polly Usher Story" which is filled with fascinating details and memories of her accomplishments during an era now gone by. The Desert Sun Newspaper published an interview on Sunday, January 9, 2005, as did The Desert Woman magazine August/Sept. issue 2005. The City of Palm Desert, CA issued a Proclamation announcing Polly Usher Day on September 22, 2005. She was also recognized in a special interview by the local CBS Channel 2 Television "Eye On The Desert" on June 28, 2005. It is an exciting few minutes in conversation with Polly and wonderful clips of her life. She will be missed by many. Services are private. Published in The Desert Sun on 4/12/2008.