Irene Nicholson Pollard

IRENE N. POLLARD, age 93, of Bel Air, Maryland, died at Hart Heritage Assisted Living, Street, MD on August 6, 2004. Born in New York City, New York, she was the daughter of the late William N. and Alice Elizabeth Hewlett Nicholson and the wife of 57 years of her late beloved husband, The Reverend Doctor Irving S. Pollard who died in 1993 at the age of 93. She and her husband moved from New York to Jamestown, New Jersey in 1974 and Mrs. Pollard moved to Bel Air in 2000.

Mrs. Pollard was a graduate of the New York University Training School for Teachers and held a Masters of Science degree from Yeshiva University in New York. She was a teacher and special education supervisor in the New York City school system for over 35 years until her retirement in 1969. She was proud of the fact that she never missed a day of school during her career. She was also a member and former officer of the Protestant Teachers Association of New York for over 60 years.

Mrs. Pollard was also very active in support of her husband who was an Episcopal priest. She served on the alter guild, taught Sunday school, held numerous committee posts and was a member of Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Park Avenue, New York for over 50 years. Among her friends and acquaintances in the parish membership were numerous celebrities from the entertainment and national scene to include Mrs. Douglas MacArthur, Ms. Ethel Merman, and the Cox family of New York. She enjoyed telling the story of how she and her husband attended the wedding of Eddie Cox and Tricia Nixon in the White House and stood in the reception line between Bob Hope and Red Skeleton.

Mrs. Pollard also traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and North Africa having crossed the Atlantic and back eleven times by ocean liner, to include on her honeymoon, and including voyages on the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth I and II and the SS United States. She was particularly fond of England and the English lake country.

Mrs. Pollard was an accomplished amateur gardener and an expert on the style and form of English gardens. She was a long time member and Past President of the Rossmoor New Jersey garden club and kept numerous plants to include her prized violets.

Mrs. Pollard is survived by a cousin, Rene Edwards and her husband Geoff of Liverpool, England; two particular nieces with whom she was very close, Irma Bonnet and Ann Stow, both of Peoria, Arizona; and numerous grand nephews and nieces, their families and many friends. She is also survived by her Godson and grand nephew, LTC (Ret) Joseph Bonnet and his wife, Mary of Ashburn, Virginia; and her Guardian and grand nephew, Raymond G. Pollard III and his wife, Peggy of Huntington, West Virginia, formerly of Churchville.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in the memory of Irene Pollard to Holy Trinity Church Altar Guild, c/o Holy Trinity Church. P.O. Box 25, Churchville, Maryland 21028.