Jimmy T. "Chopper" Pollard

Jimmy T. "Chopper" Pollard, 79, of Glen Alpine, NC died Friday, January 3, 2014 after a period of declining health. Born in Burke County, NC on October 23, 1934, he was the son of the late John Carl Pollard and Ollie Gray Haynie Pollard.Jimmy was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Morganton for 56 years where he had served as a deacon. He was 32nd degree mason and was a member of the Catawba Valley Masonic Lodge #217 and the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry in Asheville. Chopper was also a member of the Burke County Shrine Club and Oasis Shrine Temple of Charlotte.Mr. Pollard served in the U.S. Army from 1954 until 1956. He then began a career as a construction crane operator until 1976 when he went to work for Great Lakes Carbon Corp. until his retirement in 1996.Chopper enjoyed watching Freedom High School football on Friday nights and later listening to them play on the radio. He loved telling stories about his life experiences and they always brought a laugh.Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 56 years, Nevada Greene Pollard of the home; sons, Douglas Pollard and his wife, Lynn, and Donald Pollard and his fiancée, Ruth Bowers, all of Glen Alpine; grandchildren, Erika Goffin and her husband, Joel, of Asheville, John Pollard of Carlsbad, NM and Emily Hoyle and her husband, Kyle, of Glen Alpine; a sister, Barbara Center and her husband, Dean, of Woodland Hills, CA; a niece, Shannon Ferrall and her husband, Glen, of Oceanside, CA; and a nephew, Todd Center and his wife, Koi, of Woodland Hills, CA.In addition to his parents, Chopper was preceded in death by a sister, Joann L. Pollard Crawford.The funeral will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at Calvary Baptist Church with the Rev. Larry Thompson and the Rev. Tim Horldt officiating. Burial will follow in Glen Alpine Cemetery with military honors provided by the N.C. National Guard and masonic rites provided by the Catawba Valley Lodge #217. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Monday evening at Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center where the body will remain until placed in the church thirty minutes prior to the funeral hour.Memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 407 South Green Street, Morganton, NC 28655 or to Oasis Shrine Temple, 604 Doug Mayes Place, Charlotte NC 28262.