Lora Frances Morton Pollard Bonita Springs, FL

Lora Frances Morton Pollard, 95 years of age, passed away on June 29, 2009 at 1:03 a.m. A long-time resident of Bonita Springs, FL, she died of natural causes at Joanne's House of Hope Hospice.

Mrs. Pollard was born on October 29, 1913, at Wiser's Bluff near Manchester, TN, to Josephine "Josie" Maud Wiser and William Powell Morton.

She was the middle child and the last survivor of their 12 children and two adoptive siblings.

She grew up on her father's farm near Noah, TN, and attended Noah Community School, where she was Valedictorian, best all-round student, and an outstanding basketball player. She was awarded both an athletic and a scholastic scholarship to Austin Peay State University.

Mrs. Pollard's first job was teaching at a one-room school in Hoodoo Community, to which she commuted twelve miles on horseback. In 1934 she married, Herschel Pollard of Clarksville, TN, a fellow student at Austin Peay and later an entomologist with the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

During World War II, Mr. and Mrs. Pollard were air raid wardens and Red Cross first aid instructors. Later, Mrs. Pollard received honors for her decade of work as a civilian employee of the United States Air Force. The Pollard's lived in several states, including Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and, finally, Florida.

Over the years Mrs. Pollard furthered her education in the fields of accounting and real estate. In 1976 she founded Pollard & Hedrich Realty, Inc. with her daughter and sonin-law in Naples, later Bonita Springs, and maintained her license until the time of her death. She may have been the oldest active real estate broker in the United States.

Mrs. Pollard had numerous interests. In addition to her passion for boating and fishing, she and her husband traveled extensively to the Orient, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. She was especially interested in painting, and her scenes of rural life, inspired by her childhood memories, brought her widespread recognition. (See The Art of Frances Morton Pollard, Disegraf, 2000.)

Mrs. Pollard was a member of the Methodist Church and at one time was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution. One of her forebears, John Morton, was Governor of Pennsylvania and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Mrs. Pollard was preceded in death by her husband of sixty years, Herschel Newton Pollard, Sr., who passed away at age 81 on September 23, 1994; and her oldest son, Charles William Pollard, who died at age 29 on January 11, 1965.

She is survived by her son, Herschel Newton Pollard, Jr., Ph.D., of Punta Gorda, FL, who is married to the former, Luz Mariela GomezBolanos; and her daughter, Cleda Ruth Hedrich of Bonita Springs, FL, who is married to, Norman Hedrich. She is also survived by ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

A visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 5 at the Manchester Funeral Home in Manchester, TN, to be followed by a funeral and graveside service.

Mrs. Pollard will be interred at Farrar Hill Cemetery near Manchester, TN, in a family plot, between her beloved husband, Herschel, and oldest son, Charles.

The family will hold a celebration of her life locally for her friends and family on October 29, 2009.

The family wishes to thank Mrs. Pollard's loving caregivers, Vikki, Debbie and Felicia, and her special friends, Beth and Wendy.

Persons who wish to honor her may make contributions to Hope Hospice of Lee County, and condolences may be sent to www.manchesterfuneralho me.com.

Mrs. Pollard lived a full and dynamic life, and left a lasting impression on all who knew her.

Naples Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery

525 111th Avenue North

Naples, FL

(239) 597-3101