Deborah Jane Polansky (nee Hewitt) passed away at her home on Sunday, November 16, 2025 among her beloved family and friends. Deborah (“Deb”) was born in Beloit, WI on January 7th, 1950, the second of four children born to Calvin and Marjorie (nee Fogwell) Hewitt. As she always said, “I married the love of my life,” Richard Polansky, on May 22, 1977.

Deb grew up in rural Bristol in a house formerly owned by her mother’s parents. The Hewitt home was surrounded by farms, native woodlands, and open fields. This landscape contributed to Deb’s life-long love of birds and animals, plants of all kinds, and the natural environment. Deb attended Paris Consolidated Grade School, Salem Central High School (now Westosha High School) and graduated in 1976 from University of Wisconsin Parkside with a degree in English Literature. She later became a certified Master Gardener.

Deb would always take time to develop a deep understanding and lend professionalism to whatever work she put her hand to. With her love for and understanding of plants, as well as her managerial skills, she not only oversaw the greenhouses at the Burlington Garden Center for over 30 years but also worked alongside Richard in owning and operating Hafs Road Orchard in Genoa City since 1982. Customers could rely on Deb to know every heirloom apple’s pedigree and the best recipe for enjoying its qualities. She conferred with plant breeders to learn what’s new. The fiercest of competitors at the Walworth County fair, she aimed each year to get the best of show award in flowers as well as apples.

As a voracious and eclectic reader, her knowledge of subjects ranging from plants to literature to history and wildlife equipped her to converse knowledgeably on numerous subjects. The gardens around their home at the Orchard were always a wonder to behold, including Deb’s favorite dahlias (she knew each cultivar’s name.) She loved watching the migrating birds and especially the Sandhill cranes who visit the marshes near the Orchard. Having camped in Door County on childhood trips, she was always excited to return with Richard exploring its beauty and enjoying its peace and quiet. Thrifty as gardeners are, you could be scolded for not evaluating last year’s potting soil for its next best use. The keenest of eyes and ears - admiring a dormant flower bud in the dead of winter and recalling its summer color and beauty or journaling the bird songs of each spring’s migration.

Deb maintained long-term friendships with former schoolmates, writing handwritten letters to them over her whole life. After retiring from the garden center (she never fully retired from the orchard), she found a new hobby collecting buttons, which opened a new world of miniature art and cultural history. She was smart as a whip, direct and honest, funny, and always game for a walkabout of her gardens.

Deborah is survived by her husband, Richard, her siblings David (Gloria Randall) Hewitt, Sarah (Phil) Bauer, her sister-in-law Linda (Andrew, dec) Hewitt, two nephews, Tyler Hewitt and Aaron Hewitt, two great nephews, and many more family. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Andrew Hewitt.

In lieu of flowers to honor Deb’s memory, donations can be made to Genoa City Public Library in her name, Easter Seals, and Wisconsin Historical Society.

Haase-Lockwood & Associates are proud to have served the Polansky family.