Richard Langdon Pollen

A memorial service is scheduled 4 p.m. Friday Feb. 4 at Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Bauer Funeral Chapel in Snohomish, Wash.

Richard was born Oct. 26, 1951 in Northhampton, MA. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.from 1970 to 1972. He moved to Ketchikan in the early 1980’s with his dog Zeus, and was one of the original owners of Alaska Specialty Seafoods. In the mid-1980’s he started tendering fish for Silver Lining Seafoods aboard the tender “Daybreak” and eventually went to work for the company full time.

He moved to Craig in 1987 to manage Silver Lining’s processing plant there. During his time in Craig he served on the Craig City Council from 1994 to 1999. He married his wife, Karen, in their Craig home Aug. 12, 1990. In typical fishing family style, Mrs. Pollen remembers their wedding day was also during an opening for the halibut fishery. They moved from Craig in 1999.

From those early days in his seafood career, Richard went on to work as plant manager for NorQuest Seafoods in its Adak processing facility in 2000. He moved to the NorQuest fleet manager position for Bristol Bay operations in 2003 and continued in that role to the present after the acquisition of NorQuest by Trident Seafoods. Granite Falls, Wash., was home for the Pollens since 2002

Peers in the seafood industry remember Richard as a pioneer in opening new Alaskan fisheries such as winter rockfish, and the dive fisheries for sea urchins, geoducks and sea cucumbers. They describe him as someone “with a positive attitude, a readiness to try new challenges, and an ability to communicate with everybody. He had an innate ability to understand and relate to people on a personal level.”

Another friend said Richard was so successful in the seafood industry because he fit right in, “smoking and drinking with the fishermen!”

Mr. Pollen’s family remembers his favorite activities as hiking, golfing, baseball, football, reading, fishing, traveling, kayaking and “driving around during a storm to check out the damage!”

He was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister Marianne, and granddaughter Rylan.

He is survived by his wife Karen; children Theresa Media, Thrina Marsing, Marty Media and Thandra Media; grandchildren Corbin Wolford, Sage Wolford, Ember Marsing and Phoenix Marsing; and siblings Barbara Cate, Dianne Watts and Michael Pollen.

Condolences may be sent to: Karen Pollen, 19819 Canyon Dr., Granite Falls, WA 98252.

Arrangements under the direction of Bauer Funeral Chapel, Snohomish, WA.