Hugh William Pollman, 103, 10 months and 11 days, died Monday, Dec. 5, 2011, in Olathe. He was a longtime Humboldt resident.
He was born Feb. 24, 1908, in Leon, the oldest son of Mary Susanna and Charles Pollman. The Pollmans moved 10 miles west of Humboldt in 1926 and farmed near Owl Creek.
He worked on the family farm, then as a truck driver for the Humboldt Elevator Mills, as a guard at the Kansas Ordnance Plant in Parsons, as a guard for the Santa Fe Railroad, for Service Pipeline and later for the Girl Scouts as a caretaker at Camp Kivawood near Ottawa. He was a 20-year member of the Santa Fe Council of the Girl Scouts. He also drove a school bus for several years.
He grew up attending Maple Grove Church west of Humboldt and started attending First Christian Church in 1947. He was Sunday school superintendent for many years and an elder for 60 years. He attended when the weather permitted until he was 102.
He loved life, serving in the church, wood working, fishing, hunting and working outdoors. He also enjoyed helping people and in 1990 he received the Governor and First Lady Volunteer Award from Mike and Pattie Hayden.
He enjoyed decorating his yard for Christmas and had done that since 1939 until the last few years. He started a hobby of quilting after a company truck ran over his leg. He used a treadle sewing machine for therapy for his leg. He gave away many quilts, baby blankets and lap quilts. He was still making quilts at 101. He was active at 100 and even re-newed his driver’s license.
On Jan. 1, 1937, he married Fern V. Moore in Fort Scott. She preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by five brothers, Carl, Merl, Marvin, James and Raymond.
He is survived by a son, William R. and his wife, Janice; two granddaughters, Nikki Wiarda and her husband, Jordan, and Brittany Pollman; several nieces and nephews; and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the First Christian Church in Humboldt. He will lie in-state at the church in Humboldt after 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in Humboldt.
Memorials to the Humboldt Biblesta Committee may be left at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel of Iola, which is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.
Hugh Pollman
