Feb 24, 1932 - Oct 21, 2017
Andrew Robert Pollock - We are sad to announce the passing of Andrew (Andy) Pollock. Andy passed away peacefully in his home in Houston, BC on October 21, 2017 amongst friends.
Andrew Robert Pollock was born Feb 24, 1932 in Flin Flon, Manitoba to Frances Blanche Sermaw and Robert Snodgrass Pollock. He married Beryl Ann Magill on September 30, 1983 in Kamloops, BC and became step-father to Beryl's children Walter and Elsie.
Very proud of his Scottish roots Andy was known to break out into song or poetry at any given moment. He spoke fondly of the experience growing up in Flin Flon as well as his experiences as a young man working in "the worlds five most dangerous jobs".
He lived in various places including Barrier, Kamloops and Houston, his hands in the dirt wherever he went. Gardening, cooking and preserving food became an obsession and he mentored and encouraged hundreds of gardeners, would-be chefs and those wanting to live a simpler life style. His lessons in mulching ("6 inches deep after a scorched earth weeding"), weeding ("one year weeds, 10 year seeds"), seed saving, dehydrating and cooking will be long remembered by those who loved him.
His legacy as "the Tomato Guy" will also live on through the Pollock Tomato, a breed of heavy producing, frost resistant tomato developed over 30 years to be as resilient and productive as the man himself. After seeing article after article of his gardening exploits he often chuckled and exclaimed "I just saved seeds from my tomato plants, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about". But in his own words, "you can't argue with success".
Andy was a great story teller and teacher and would spend hours sharing with whoever would listen. He also collected stamps, was a talented scroll saw and toll painting artist, a voracious reader and accomplished carpenter.
He started spending summers in Houston around 1994 and built his "cabin in the woods" that later became his workshop. He and Beryl moved to Houston in 1998 and he built their log home with his own hands. Beryl passed away in 1999 but Andy stayed, quickly becoming an important part of the Buck Flats community. His garlic tasting parties and New Year's celebrations were legendary.
A place of peace and refuge many a weary soul enjoyed the comfort of food, story, song and warmth in his home and no one left without a sample of cookies, sourdough bread, dried fruit or preserved something or other.
In his last few years Andy spent a lot of time sitting in a hospital dealing with health issues, something he was not accustomed to. Not one to sit idle he took the opportunity to write his thoughts down and became a writer of his own history, fairy fantasies, his unique recipes, life and times commentary and poetry of all genre.
Some of his works can be found at www.seedstosoup.com and www.afternoonswithandyblog.wordpress.com.
Andrew Robert Pollock will be deeply missed by all who called him friend.
If you were amongst those and would like to contribute to the blog or his celebration of life, please contact ckeeper@telus.net.
There will be a celebration of life in the spring of 2018. Just in time for planting.