Lena Lee Pollard

On Friday, May 14, 2021, Lena Lee Pollard, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt, passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 103. Lee was born on February 16, 1918 in Pueblo, Colorado to Italian immigrants, Chris and Angelina (Inglese) Alberico. She was predeceased by her parents, brothers Fred, Tom, and Chuck Alberico, sisters Mary Zaccardi and Nell Parlapiano, and her beloved husband of 36 years, Tom. She is survived by her daughter, Mattye Pollard-Cole (Cliff) of Centennial, Colorado, sons Chris Pollard (Cindy) of Mililani, Hawaii and Ben Pollard (Tammy) of Amarillo, Texas as well as three grandchildren, Thomas (Siobhan), Matthew (Dawn), and Nora, and two great grandchildren, Dante and Anatéa. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, especially Mary and Carla Parlapiano, and many friends and admirers! The second youngest of six children, Lee spent her formative years with limited means and learned from her parents a stoic resilience in the years of the Great Depression. She became an expert seamstress, sewing beautiful dresses for her mom, sisters, and herself. Lee graduated from Pueblo Central High School in 1936 and earned her B. A. from Colorado State College of Education in Greeley in 1939. Lee returned to Pueblo to find that her lack of experience, paired with her Italian heritage and Catholic religion, made it difficult to find a teaching job. Lee was able to obtain a job in the office of Sperry Packard, who was her brother Chuck’s lawyer, and whose son, David, cofounded Hewlett Packard. Thanks to Packard’s help, she was able to get a teaching job when he recommended her to James Risley, superintendent of Pueblo schools. Lee began teaching at Bradford Elementary where she remained for eight years, beginning a lengthy career in education in which she taught from third grade through the college level. After her time at Bradford, two years of which she served as a teaching principal, Lee decided to go back to school to get her Master’s in order to become a full time principal. The next four summers, Lee commuted by train to Columbia University to attend the Teacher’s College in New York City. It was at Columbia that Lee met her late husband Tom Pollard. She was proud to obtain her Master’s degree which is signed by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of Columbia at the time. Lee and Tom spent the next nine years living and teaching in Greeley and Long Island, N.Y. Lee missed her hometown, so in 1960 the family moved back to Pueblo, where Lee resumed her career in teaching and school administration while raising her three children. Lee taught third grade at Thatcher Elementary and was appointed principal of Haaff, South Park, and Colombian Elementary Schools. Lee was an active member of Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Society, a professional society for women educators. She served as president of the DKG local chapter and state society as well as editor of the quarterly state publication from 1979 to 1995. Lee retired in 1980, but she kept her gusto for learning and living life to its fullest. She took up golf, was a member of the Elmwood and Walking Stick ladies golf leagues, and began the ladies league at Pueblo West. Lee had a passion for working in the yard. She loved roses, planted all the trees at her home and some at schools she worked at. Lee loved playing Scrabble, doing newspaper puzzles, and playing Words with Friends on her iPad, even at the age of 100. She travelled extensively, visiting grandchildren in Washington and Hawaii, flew with her daughter across the country and to Italy, her parents’ homeland, as well as many cruises from Alaska to the Panama Canal. Lee was a devout Catholic. As a young woman, Lee and her sisters attended church at Mt. Carmel, crossing the Arkansas River by walking on the train trestle connecting Bessemer to the Grove. Later, she was member of Christ the King parish for almost sixty years, having served as a member of the Church Council and a longtime Eucharistic minister. Lee lived her life to the fullest, treasured her family and took great satisfaction from her teaching career. Her beautiful smile, flaming red hair, and sense of style will be sorely missed! Her son, Chris, was Lee’s caregiver at home the last four years of her life. A special thanks to Dr. Thomas Gaide and his staff for providing years of care to Lee, and to the exceptional nighttime care provided by CNAs Vanessa Espinoza and Veronica Moreno. Services to be held at Christ the King Church at 1708 Horseshoe Dr, Pueblo, CO 81001. Father John Ozella to officiate on June 2, 2021 at 11 A.M. For online condolences visit tgmccarthy.com