Nancy Higbee Pollock

Madison--Nancy Higbee Pollock, age 96, a resident of Oakwood Village University Woods, died on Thursday, December 1, 2016 at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg.

Nancy was born on March 1, 1920, in La Crosse, to Jesse and Edna Coren Higbee. She graduated from Milwaukee-Downer Seminary, attended Hollins College in Roanoke, Va., and graduated from the National College of Education in Evanston, Ill. She taught kindergarten in Quantico, Va., and Reedsburg and Wisconsin Rapids before her marriage to John Watson Pollock on May 26, 1948, in La Crosse.

A fun-loving woman with a wide range of interests, Nancy particularly enjoyed the outdoors. She was a gardener, wildflower enthusiast, and bird watcher, and her greatest joy was time spent on Lac Courte Oreilles, which she first visited in 1920 and where she spent part or all of every summer of her life. Dogs were another great love, and she sorely missed having a canine companion in her last year. With John, she traveled the United States, Mexico, and Canada by car, visiting every state except Hawaii. No matter how far she roamed or how long she lived elsewhere, she considered La Crosse her home. After raising their family and living more than 20 years in Palo Alto, Calif., Nancy and John retired to Madison to be closer to the lake and to family.

Survivors include a son, James Pollock of East Palo Alto, Calif.; daughter, Ann Pollock (James Coors) of Madison; nieces and nephews, Peder Engebretson (Linda) of Bonita Springs, Fla., John O'Neill (Mary) of Clinton, N.Y., Miki Odawa of Tucson, Ariz., James O'Neill of Baraboo, Barbara O'Neill of Portland, Ore., and Richard O'Neill (Mark Kile) of St. Paul, Minn., and their families.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, John Watson Pollock; her sisters, Mary Cameron and Jean O'Neill; and by a niece, Wendy Engebretson.

The family wishes to extend its heartfelt gratitude for the years of caring companionship provided by Supportive Elder Services, as well as for the services of Agrace HospiceCare in recent weeks.

Gifts in Nancy's memory may be made to the Lac Courte Oreilles Foundation, 6756 N. Victory Heights Circle, Stone Lake, WI 54876 or to Planned Parenthood.