Elsie Pollock Death, Obituary – Elsie Blackwell Pollock, who was 90 years old at the time of her death on February 13, 2023, passed away quietly at home. It was a lovely morning, befitting of a lovely life that had been lived to the fullest. Her dying days were spent with the people and things that meant the most to her: her family, her friends, and music. During her lifetime, Elsie combined all three into what evolved into a stunning symphony that had an impact on a great number of people’s lives and will continue to have that impact for many generations to come.
On Friday, February 24, at 2:00 p.m., there will be a Service held at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church. The Very Reverend Will Keith will preside over the ceremony. Elsie was a skilled musician who was able to play the harpsichord, pipe organ, and piano. She was an uplifting figure in both the choral and choir director roles. She was a talented music educator who harnessed the potential of others via the medium of music to both motivate and strengthen them.
She really enjoyed sharing her passion for music with young people and youngsters. The tradition of classical music in Georgetown County and beyond was significantly influenced by Elsie. 1932 found Elsie being welcomed into the world by her parents, Dr. Reese Croxton Blackwell and Lilly Dill Blackwell, in Baltimore, Maryland. At the time, Elsie’s father was a student at Johns Hopkins University.
She began her musical training on the piano at a young age and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. If she could choose between assisting with domestic tasks and practicing the piano, she would always opt to practice the piano. She began her career as an accompanist for The Furman University Singers when she was still a student at Greenville High School.
She continued to work as an accompanist up to the time that she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Furman University in 1954. It was at Furman that she met the love of her life, James Furman Pollock, whom she married in 1954. Elsie and James made their home in Georgetown, SC where they raised their five children.