Thomas E. Pollick

Thomas Edmund Pollick, Junior, was born on June 14, 1937 in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.   He was one of two children born to Mary Lynch Pollick and Thomas Pollick, Senior.  Thomas was a dog lover and for many of his teen years had a dog named Babe.

Thomas joined the Marine Corps in 1956 and his brother Edward followed him into the Marines two years later.  After being honorably discharged from the Marines, Tom returned to Philadelphia to work for the Schlitz Brewery’s warehouse and later for Wurlitzer Piano and Organs becoming a manager of their warehouses in Philadelphia.  Later he became Port Captain for American Export Lines and later for Farrell Lines both American flagship companies housed in Philadelphia and New York City.

Tom joined the South Philadelphia String Band, and played the banjo.  These were years that he fondly spoke about.  This group often was found to be the winning string band in Philadelphia’s annual New Year’s Parade.  He frequently spoke about his friends Chilly Douglas and Jimmy Moran, good friends since his teen years.  He was very proud of Jimmy, who became the leader of their string band, and father of Tom’s God-daughter Donna Marie Moran Kerins,

It was at this time that he met Martha Scanlin, a nurse, also from Philadelphia.  They both enjoyed going to the sea shore of New Jersey, and while there one  weekend they met in the Margate Mariner – a popular dive in Margate New Jersey – a suburb of Atlantic City, New Jersey.  After dating for a year, they became engaged and then married on September 16, 1973. At his death they had been married for 47 years.   His new wife, who Tom called a professional student, convinced him to return to school where he earned a Masters in Business Administration degree at Villanova University.

Martha had two Siamese cats, and although Thomas was well known to be a dog person, he would tell people that it became a “love me, love my cats” situation.  He fed “Martha’s cats”, walked them, sat in the grass with them, and finally won them over.  He would tell about one morning waking up and thinking his bad back had finally become paralyzed as his two legs were numb - when he opened his eyes, he saw two sets of Siamese eyes looking at him –Babby and Minnie were sitting on each of his thighs. While attending a cat show, Tom was told that if he wanted a Siamese cat of his own he must allow a cat to adopt him.  At the home of a Siamese cat breeder in Philadelphia – he was adopted by a cat – Kermit.  Tom and Kermit adored each other!!  Two years later Tom adopted a friend for Kermit – Amanda.  And thus the Pollick Cat House began.  At one time there were 10 cats living with Tom and Martha, as Martha had a habit of adopting homeless cats.

Sadly they were not able to have any children of their own, but they became very close with Edward’s children – Sharon, Karen and Derrick, often taking them on vacations with them to a wide number of locations.    They especially liked visiting Chincoteague, Virginia and watching the annual Pony Swim.

When Farrell Lines closed their operations in Philadelphia – Tom started his own business, with his niece – Theresa Bova, the daughter of his mother’s sister.  He located the business in Salem, New Jersey on the Salem River, continuing to work with customers who wished to ship goods throughout the world.

At 70, Tom retired and both he and Martha moved to Cape May, New Jersey to help care for Martha’s elderly father.  They remained there until they moved to Collington, in Bowie, Maryland, to be near to Martha’s cousin Ruth Ann Thompson, and where Tom exceptionally enjoyed the company of H.D. Kim.

He died on Wednesday April 14, 2021.  Spanky, our current cat, and I miss him, but know he is not suffering now.  He is in Heaven with Kermit and Amanda sitting on his lap.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Collington Life Care Community Foundation.