Herbert Clark Pollock, 97, of Indiana, went into eternity with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 16, 2023.
A son of the late Clark Craig Pollock and Mary Louise (Hopkins) Pollock, he was born in Indiana and raised on the Pollock farmstead in East Mahoning Township in Marion Center.
Herbert attended the Mahoning one room Elementary School for seven years and graduated from Marion Center High School in 1944. He participated in both 4-H and FFA. Herbert experienced the change from horsepower to tractor power! After having learned to drive horses in the field he began driving a tractor doing fieldwork at age 13. In 1938, Herbert joined his family church, the Covenanter Presbyterian. This the beginning of a long life of church activities, having been born into a family with a strong Christian faith. In 1945, the military draft took him to Little Rock Arkansas for infantry basic training to go to Japan. By the end of his training the war in Japan was over. After a month back on the farm milking cows and harvesting 5,000 bushels of potatoes, it was back to the Army, stationed in Bavaria, Germany serving as a jeep patrol driver in the 793rd Military Police Bn. 3rd Army. The next summer on jeep patrol in Nuremberg, the war crimes trial year. In 1947, Herbert attended Indiana State Teachers College as a Penn State University freshman then transferred to the main campus and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Ag Economics. Upon graduation, he applied to do volunteer agricultural work in a foreign country. By early July, Herbert was on a ship for the two-week trip to Hafia, Israel. The goal of the Turan Village project was to improve their production and be a model village for others. The two-year assignment ended in July 1953 and before returning home he traveled to Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Yugoslavia, Trieste and Italy by plane, bus, and The Orient Express visiting many early Christian locations. Herbert also traveled over 2,000 miles through Europe on a Vesta motor scooter. In 1956, for a year and a half, Herbert substitute taught Vo. Ag at Marion Center High School.
On July 6, 1957, after dating six months, Herbert married the love of his life, Mary Nell Cribbs in Calvary Presbyterian Church in Indiana and was an active member there the rest of his life. He was a caring and nurturing family man. They opened their home to numerous foreign student/adult guests. They enjoyed square dancing and ballroom dancing, photography and traveling. Their travels took them to Hawaii twice and Europe five times. Traveling by car in all continental states except MT, ID and UT.
Community service was important. Herbert worked for Eastern States Farmers’ Cooperative and Agway for 34 years retiring in 1990 and for 40 years enjoyed raising pick-your-own strawberries. Herbert served decades on the Conservation District, Kiwanis, County Fair Board and PA Vegetable Growers.
He is survived by a daughter, Marilyn Nisbet and husband Dana; a son, Robert Pollock and wife Annette; a sister, Laura (Pollock) Resener and a brother-in-law, Clair Cribbs; four grandchildren, Matthew Pollock and wife Emma, Tyler Pollock and wife Olivia, Gretchen Nisbet and Jocelyn Nisbet; seven great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Mary Nell Pollock; a brother and sister-in-law, H. Wallace Pollock and wife Ethel Grace and a brother-in-law, Rev. Carl Resener.
Friends and family will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Robinson-Lytle-Shoemaker Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Calvary Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. David J. Hanna officiating. It will be livestreamed at www.calvarychurchpa.com. Interment will be in Oakland Cemetery.
The family would like to thank the staff of Maple Valley and Concordia/VNA Hospice for their compassionate and loving care.
The family kindly suggests memorial contributions be made to Calvary Presbyterian Church, 695 School Street, Indiana, PA 15701 or Concordia – IRMC VNA, 850 Hospital Road, #3000, Indiana, PA 15701.
To view the online obituary, sign the guest registry or send condolences, please visit
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