Unity woman, victim of sinkhole tragedy, remembered for dedication to family, concern for neighbors

It wasn’t uncommon for neighbors to see Elizabeth Pollard out and about, walking with her 5-year-old granddaughter, tending to her flower garden and hosting a popular stop for neighborhood children during Halloween trick-or-treating.

Family members said Pollard’s pride and joy was helping to raise her granddaughter after tragedy struck the family last January with the death of her 28-year-old son, Brandon.

“She was always a happy person,” said Axel Hayes, Pollard’s son and Brandon’s twin. “There was never a day I saw her sad until my brother died.”

Now, once again, the Pollard family is dealing with tragedy.

Elizabeth Pollard’s body was found late Friday morning following a four-day search in a sinkhole that authorities said developed as she walked over a grassy area behind the Monday’s Union Restaurant in Unity where she had been in search of her missing cat Monday afternoon. The restaurant is on the outskirts of her home village of Marguerite.

Rescue crews said the incident occurred shortly after Pollard arrived at about 5 p.m. Monday. The ground gave way beneath her, and she fell straight down about 30 feet into a sinkhole that opened into the abandoned Marguerite Mine. The mine operated by the H.C. Frick Coke Co. last operated in 1952.

She was reported missing early Tuesday. On Friday, her body was found under debris about 12 feet away, off to the side of a mound that she had fallen on.

“It’s not the outcome we were looking for,” said Tabitha Pollard on Friday evening, after crews recovered her aunt’s body from the sinkhole. “We’re all trying to heal from getting that news. We’re in shock.”

Loving grandma

She described her aunt as a loving woman, who along with her husband, Kenny, helped to raise their granddaughter, whom she doted on and who rarely left her side, according to family and friends.

The little girl was with Pollard when she fell through the sinkhole, waiting for her grandmother in a vehicle parked just several feet away before she was found by police. They believe the child had been alone in the cold vehicle for as long as eight hours. She was uninjured, police said.

“Her granddaughter was her world,” Tabitha said. “Wherever she was, her granddaughter was with her.”

Family’s second loss

She said her aunt and uncle had been together for 40 years and continued to grieve the death of their son.

“The family was still dealing with that,” Tabitha said. “The pain is still there. They were still healing from (Elizabeth) losing her son, and now the family is dealing with her loss. It’s a very tough situation right now for my uncle.”

Family members said Elizabeth Pollard previously worked at Walmart in Hempfield. She struggled with health and mobility issues, although neither prevented her from doting on her granddaughter and being a constant presence in her community.

Hayes described his mother as kind, loving and caring.

“She used to take us on vacation to Lancaster or Orlando sometimes,” he said. “We didn’t grow up with a lot of money, but she still made vacation happen.”

Hayes said Pollard taught him to take care of people and to put kindness out into the world.

“She taught me not to sit there and be afraid to stand up for myself,” he said.

Hayes had been living in Johnstown when his father told him about Pollard’s disappearance. He traveled to Unity the next day be with his family, and he plans to stay there for the foreseeable future.

“I’m staying around my dad,” Hayes said. “I’m going to take care of him.”

A good neighbor remembered

Neighbors in the small coal patch town located between Greensburg and Latrobe, described Elizabeth as quiet, reserved and polite. They said she and her husband kept mostly to themselves.

They could be seen doing yard work, including gardening. Elizabeth tended flower beds.

In addition to her fondness for cats, Elizabeth was known for decorating the house for the various holidays, according to neighbor Terri Kelly. She also said Elizabeth collected nutcrackers.

“She’ll be greatly missed,” Kelly said.

Kelly said Elizabeth had undergone abdominal surgery but didn’t know specifics about the procedure and had suffered a foot injury at work.

“It would be so hard for her to move, but she would still be out there trying to do stuff,” Kelly said. “It was getting harder to walk, but she was determined. She was out there all the time,” including walking with her granddaughter.

The Pollard home was popular stop for trick-or-treaters, said neighbor Rich Rose.

“Every year for Halloween, she always had all kinds of stuff set up for the kids,” Rose said.“I feel real bad for the Pollards. Nobody could ever have foreseen something like that. She was a real kind lady.”

Rose said Elizabeth was among neighbors who showed concern when an Oct. 15 fire broke out at a house across the street from the Pollard home.

“She wanted to make sure everybody was OK and got out of the house,” he said.

The rescue scene that saw 25 fire companies along with the state police, first responders, mine experts and county emergency services going nonstop from early Tuesday through Friday was quiet Saturday morning. Left behind were piles of dirt near the dig site behind Monday’s Union Restaurant.

Officials said state Department of Environmental Protection and federal Office of Surface Mine Reclamation and Enforcement are expected prepare the site for reclamation work. DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will oversee emergency work to fill the excavated area at the site, drill and pump a cement-like grout to stabilize the Marguerite Mine void in the immediate area to prevent additional subsidence, and eliminate the hazard, officials said Friday night.

Family appreciative

The Pollard family praised the efforts of first responders and police during the long search and recovery operation.

“The state police might have felt they failed us,” the family statement said, referring to a statement a police spokesman had said.

”They didn’t fail us; they did what they could do. They have been a big support to our family, keeping us updated with everything. “We’re very appreciative of the first responders, state police, anybody that was involved in the search.

“They took their time to make sure that, regardless what the outcome was going to be, they brought my aunt back to the family, to give that closure that’s going to be needed.”

Leo M Bacha Funeral Home in Pleasant Unity will be handling funeral arrangements. There is no word if services will be public or private.