Ester Gourlay Pollard

On December 7, 2025, Ester Gourlay Pollard, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister, passed away peacefully at the age of 106 in Houston, Texas. The youngest of four daughters of William Everett Gourlay and Lulu May Parsons, Ester was born in West Woods, Sharon, CT, on December 28th, 1918.

She grew up in Sharon, CT, and Amenia Union, New York. In 1931, she graduated from 8th grade at the Amenia Union Schoolhouse #6.

She was a lifelong member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Amenia Union, NY. She was serving in many roles, including Sr. Warden and historian; the parish hall is named for her. Her alternate church home has been Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Houston, where she was well loved for her ministry participation.

Ester was a member of the Amenia, NY, and Kent, CT, historical societies. She loved the history of the area she grew up in and researched and preserved records of the culture, people, and places that influenced her life.

She was the ancestral glue of her family, maintaining correspondence and connections with nieces, nephews, and cousins as she outlived those she loved. An avid photographer, she captured her adventures with friends and family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, Beatrice Bates, Ethel Peck, and Ruth Jones, and her husband, Frederick Henshaw Pollard.

Cherishing her memory are her children: Celeste Ester (Monahan) McLaughlin, Carol Roberta (Pollard) Tittler, and Susan Nichols (Pollard) Chapin; six grandchildren: Ralph Everett Doyer, Michael Edward Doyer, Kevin Chapin, Brian Chapin, Elise Carbonnell, and Alexander Carbonnell; great grandchildren; and one great, great-grandchild.

A Celebration of Life will be held on January 28th, 2026, at 11 am at:

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

3785 Barker Cypress Rd.

Houston, TX 77084

Interment with service will be held in Amenia Union, NY, in late spring 2026 – date TBD.

The family kindly asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Ms. Pollard's memory to either St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia Union, New York, or Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas.