Polly Ann Tuttle Bates Wagster

Polly Wagster was born on September 22, 1931 in Longview, TX to Andrew Jackson Tuttle & Nannie Alice “Allie Bob” Henderson Tuttle. She was the sixth child of seven and enjoyed playing with her big brothers and getting into mischief usually on their behalf.

Polly grew up in Longview attending Judson School from grades 1-11. She loved to play games and sports with the boys. Her favorite times were when her daddy would take her fishing down on the “branch.” She said there was not enough water to call it a creek, and she doesn’t think they ever caught anything. But, she remembers her daddy frying salt bacon, and they would eat cold cornbread and keep on fishing all day.

When she graduated high school, she moved to Denton to attend North Texas where her brother was going to school. After a year, she came back to Longview and went to work in the Tax Office at the Gregg County Courthouse. Polly eventually decided to finish her schooling at Stephen F. Austin State University where she majored in Education.

After college, Polly moved to Hull-Daisetta to teach 6th grade for two years. She resigned from her position when her dad had a stroke. She moved back to Longview to take care of him and the family, and she taught at Tatum. She only stayed at Tatum for one year, joking that the principal was as bad as the kids. Polly left teaching and went back to work at the tax office. Another job she held during her life that she really liked was being a secretary at an insurance agency.

Polly says her biggest accomplishment of her life was having her four children. Left to mourn her loss are her children Fred Bates, Terry Bates, Tamy Bates Graham, and Andy Bates (Amy). She loved her grandchildren and cherished time with them. She was proud that her granddaughter Drew Allie Bates (Jace Flowers) attended her beloved Texas A&M University (Gig ’em!) and was also proud that Sydney Claire Bates Langley (Walker) went to her alma mater of Stephen F. Austin. Polly also leaves her niece Vicki Crawford (Witt) and nephews Wade Winningham (Pamela) and Barry Winningham.

Polly was an exceptional cook and hosted many meals for Andy and all of his friends while he was in high school and college. She was famous for her chocolate sheet cake and made more of them than she could count in her lifetime. Her most memorable trip of her life was going to Germany. She traveled to see family in the military, and said that the most memorable base that she toured was on the Austrian border. The hotel on base had a huge life-sized mural of General George Patton. She said she would have loved to have that painting.

Widowed for over 35 years, Polly was an independent woman who took care of everyone around her. She was community-minded and volunteered with the Good Shepherd Medical Center Auxiliary for many years, working mainly in surgery waiting. Polly was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Polly was preceded in death by her parents and all of her Tuttle siblings as well as her husband Paul L. Wagster. Her siblings were Robert Andrew, George Lee, Lloyd Jackson, Dolly Dimple, Dan Gaston, and Nancy Grace. Polly also lost her granddaughter, Kristi Lynn Bates, at age 8 in 1994. Kristi died of cystic fibrosis. Polly was looking forward to being reunited in heaven with Kristi, her “Priss Tail,” who she lost way too soon.

Polly died at age 93 on Saturday, August 2, 2025 after a brief illness at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. She willed her body to UT Southwestern Medical School of Dallas. The family wishes to thank her nurses Jennifer and Emma who cared for her in those final days. The family also appreciates Ana at Hospice of East Texas in Tyler for her kindness, even though Polly chose to go on to heaven before moving into their care. And finally, the family wants to thank Polly’s friends at Colonial Village of Longview, who made her last year of life so much fun. She loved visiting with the other residents in the dining room and made many dear friends while living there.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 11, 2025 in the Chapel of the First Presbyterian Church in Kilgore, Texas. Memorial Contributions can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 4550 Montgomery Ave. Suite 1100 N, Bethesda, MD 20814 or to the Youth/Scholarship Fund at First Presbyterian Church of Kilgore, P.O. Box 1216, Kilgore, TX 75663.