Louise Woolf Pollock

Louise retained her kindness, resilient spirit, and sense of humor through her long struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. The twinkle in her bright blue eyes was a gift that never left her. Louise Woolf was born July 29, 1942 in Vancouver, Washington, where she lived through her teen years. As a child she enjoyed rowdy card games with her family, and she created some occasional mischief, including a somersault through a glass window. She met Walt Pollock while a student at Fort Vancouver High School. She reminsiced that it was because of his car, but 56 wonderful years later, we know it was a lot more than that. Louise spent two years at Clark College near home in Vancouver before joining Walt at the University of Washington, where she studied criminology. Walt and Louise were engaged in their senior year, and they moved to Virginia shortly after their marriage. In Virginia, Louise gave birth to her children, Lori in 1965 and Jim in 1968. She passed her lifelong love of art and learning to her children through countless visits to the museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Though the family moved several times in the DC area, she always sought out the closest library, and walked there each week, putting miles and miles on the stroller. The gift of reading she gave to her kids has echoed beautifully through both of their lives. Her love of baking and celebrating others may have started here, as her talent for making custom cakes with matching party favors and games started to blossom with each magical kid's party she created on little money and incredible creativity. In 1972 the Pollock family moved to Oregon. In the 1980s she worked as an educational coordinator at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. There she helped develop scientific enrichment programs for kids, and in addition to her desk job, she occasionally handled live snakes and dissected cow eyeballs. She loved every minute of her work at OMSI, and carried her passion for children's education that made sense to kids, through her life. Louise loved to travel, and she visited destinations including Santa Fe, Kenya Japan, Kauai, Italy, France, and the Cook Islands, always packing her walking shoes and covering as many miles as the day would allow or Walt could endure. She was open to all sorts of adventures, exploring off the beaten path, whether close to home or in a far-flung place, was her specialty. Her genuine interest in anyone she met, made travel a rich and rewarding experience. She is survived by Walt, Lori and Jim, and grandchildren Isabella (21), Eliana (18), and Catalina (15).