Vera Jean Pollitt

Vera Elliott Pollitt, age 97, passed peacefully into heaven at her home in Pensacola on Friday, June 13, 2025, surrounded by her loving family and friends. A lifelong resident of the Pensacola area, Vera lived a life defined by perseverance, generosity, and unshakable independence. Born January 1928, during the Great Depression to Jack and Callie (Jernigan) Elliott in Milton, Florida, Vera was one of ten children in a family that faced significant hardship. When the Depression claimed the family farm, they relocated to Pensacola in search of a new beginning. From those humble and difficult beginnings, Vera shaped a life of resilience and purpose. Vera was born with handicaps and her health was often fragile. But these challenges never defined her; her tenacity did. Despite physical limitations, she lived with unmatched determination, always insisting on doing things her own way. Tiny in stature but fierce in spirit, Vera had a voice—and an opinion—on everything, and those who knew her loved her all the more for it. She graduated from Pensacola High School in 1947 and completed bookkeeping school shortly thereafter. She worked as a bank teller at Florida National Bank and West Florida Bank, later serving as a bookkeeper for the Fruit Distributing Company for more than seven years. Her work ethic was steadfast, and her independence, unshakable—she continued to live alone by her own choice and care for herself until her final day. In 1948, she married Paul J. Pollitt, and they later traveled together to Key Wests as part of Paul’s service in the U.S. NAVY. They later moved back to Pensacola where they built a home and raised a family near their extended families. Vera was a devoted mother and grandmother. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul, who passed away in 2008, and her siblings: Lucy (Elliott) Pugh, J.E. Elliott, Charlie Jack Elliott, Mary Myrtle (Elliott) Reed, Ann (Elliott) Futral, Peggy (Elliott) Dubose, Lewis Elliott, Sarah (Elliott) Flippin, and John Elliott. She is survived by her daughter, Peggy Shepherd (David) of Senatobia, MS, and her son, Mike Pollitt (Elizabeth) of Gulf Breeze, FL. Her legacy continues through her grandchildren: Eiyah Elizabeth Shepherd, Sarah Shepherd, Luke Shepherd, Paul Ray Shepherd, and Austin Chadwick; and her great-grandchildren: Noah, Hannah, Grayson, Lola, and Elliott Shepherd in addition to a myriad loving nephews, nieces, friends, and fur babies. A woman of deep Christian faith, Vera was a long-time member and treasurer of Calvary Baptist Church of Pensacola, where she taught Sunday School for teenage girls and tirelessly cared for the church’s flower beds, an extension of her lifelong passion for gardening. For over 25 years, she gave her time and talents to the church community, never seeking praise, only purpose. Vera’s love for gardening was legendary. Her yard was a living tapestry of flowers, many of which came from cuttings or rootings she collected—sometimes spontaneously—from roadsides or friends’ yards. She famously kept a small shovel and drop cloth in the trunk of her car, ready to gather any plant that caught her eye. Her flower garden was a testament to her nurturing spirit and eye for beauty, cultivated with the same care and love she gave her family and community. She was a generous soul, quietly donating her time, resources, and energy to many charitable causes throughout her life. But more than anything, she gave of herself—her pragmatic tenacity, her wisdom, her humor, and her boundless love. Vera Pollitt was a woman who overcame much and gave even more. She leaves behind a legacy of courage, compassion, and unwavering independence. Her life was a rare and beautiful bloom that brightened the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her.

Tributes

Vera Jean Pollitt

January 15, 1928 - June 13, 2025