Hollingshead—Jennifer “Jenny” Polge Hollingshead, 96, on November 9, 2025, at Pennswood Village retirement community in Newtown, Pa. Jenny was born on March 15, 1929, to Ernest and Joan Polge at Innisfree, the family home in Jordans, England. A lifelong member of the Religious Society of Friends, she often spoke fondly of her carefree childhood—cycling through the village at will, exploring the gardens, and adventuring with her beloved younger sister, Rosalind, while their parents tended the farm. Known in childhood as “Jinks,” she was an active and curious girl who delighted in finding secret hiding places, especially among the branches of the great deodar cedar that anchored the garden.
In 1948, while studying nursing and living at Woodbrooke, a Quaker college in Birmingham, UK, Jenny met Irving Hollingshead Jr., who was there for a semester following his alternative service in Finland. In 1949, at age 20, Jenny crossed the Atlantic alone to join Irving in the United States. They married on February 10, 1950, at Moorestown (N.J.) Meeting.
Jenny and Irving made their first home in Rancocas, N.J., where they ran a small farm, raised four children, and pursued higher education in the evenings. Jenny earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and began her career as an educator.
The family’s life expanded in 1966 when they moved to Nairobi, Kenya, for two years through a USAID program. There, Irving taught at the University of East Africa, while Jenny taught in local schools. Their time in Kenya was filled with exploration, community, and unforgettable adventures: being chased by elephants in game parks, snorkeling in the Indian Ocean, and working alongside women on textile projects.
Upon returning to the United States, the family settled in Boyertown, Pa. Irving taught at Kutztown State College, and Jenny built a distinguished career in education, completing a master’s degree in reading education from Kutztown. She became the coordinator and supervisor of the Title I (later Chapter 1) program for the Boyertown School District, where she advocated fiercely for teachers and students alike, ensuring that those who needed academic support received thoughtful, well-resourced help.
Jenny’s life was grounded in her faith and animated by a deep commitment to peace and justice—values shaped in part by her experiences as a child during the Blitz. She was an active member of Friends meetings in Rancocas, N.J.; Reading, Pa.; Unami Meeting in Pennsburg, Pa.; and Newtown, Pa., where she taught First-day school and served on committees for ministry, social justice, and community care.
Jenny loved traveling and forming connections across cultures. She and Irving participated in the Odessa-to-Kyiv Peace Walk in 1988, forging lifelong friendships with people from Russia, Lithuania, and Kyrgyzstan. She and her sister Rosalind later fulfilled childhood dreams of shared adventure through travels to Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan. From 2004–2005, Jenny and Irving served as the resident couple at Honolulu (Hawaii) Meeting, widening yet again the circle of people whose lives they touched.
Jenny was predeceased by her husband, Irving Hollingshead Jr., in 2015; a sister, Lois Jenkins; and a brother, Christopher Polge.
She is survived by four children, Lynne Rosansky (Victor), Jennifer Hollingshead, Chris Hollingshead (Kathie), and Debby Hollingshead (Ruth); nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one sister, Rosalind Gwatkin (Frank); and numerous nieces and nephews.
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