H.R. Pollock house, built 1939.   Photo: Jeremy Hopkin

87-year-old woman mysteriously leaves retirement condo,
found dead hours later at family’s former mansion 14km away

– Article courtesy Samuel Greenfield and Megan O’Toole / National Post –

Kathleen Pollock, an 87 year old woman suffering from the onset of Alzheimers, went from her Don Mills Toronto seniors residence to her former family home in Scarborough where she was found dead on the front steps, Friday February 1, 2013.

Plumber Loris Vit was getting some materials from his work van on Thursday afternoon when he noticed a well-dressed elderly women with bright lipstick get out of a cab.

Wearing a long jacket and with her hair styled, 87-year-old Kathleen Pollock was paying a visit to the abandoned mansion on Pine Ridge Drive in Scarborough that was once her family’s home. She started up the driveway of the neighbouring house, where Mr. Vit was working, so she could slip in behind the fence.

She was very much “lucid,” recalled Mr. Vit, who offered to help, but she said “No, I’ll be fine” when he pointed out that she didn’t have winter footwear, just low-cut shoes.
“This was my home for over 40 years,” she said before continuing toward the house.
During the chilly early-morning hours of Friday, she was found dead within steps of her old front door.

“I almost think she went there with a purpose,” said son Greg Pollock, who describes her as an independent and disciplined woman who gave the prime of her life to her four children. “I think her last wish was to be there on that property when she expired.”

Staff at Don Mills Seniors’ Apartments, where Ms. Pollock was a resident, noticed she was missing during a routine check late Thursday night. The condominiums allow seniors to live independently — even prepare their own meals — and they may come and go as they please, but staff notified police of her absence.

Ms. Pollock was found at 3:48 a.m. Friday morning without vital signs and was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police believe there was nothing suspicious about her death, saying she suffered from a number of ailments.

“The weather may have been a contributing factor to it, but she had ailments. High blood pressure, heart condition, she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s,” says Staff Sgt. Brian Gottschalk of Toronto police.

“When we’re dealing with older folks that have Alzheimer’s, they have a tendency to go back to where they once lived as a kid or their last long-term place of residence.”

Her footsteps in the snow are still visible amidst the scattered pine cones and twigs that litter the ground near the tree-shrouded mansion. It sits far back from the road with a rusting fence that was once painted green running the front of the property. A dilapidated metal gate flanked by two concrete columns with battered imitation lanterns on top is locked with a length of chain and a padlock. Through the trees a blue swing set is visible on the front lawn of the elegant white house known as “Lakewood.”

1952 advertisement for Pollock’s shoe stores.

The late Harvey Robert Pollock, who founded the Pollock shoe company, built Lakewood — a Georgian revival estate constructed of cement block and stucco — in 1939, according to local historian and author Jane Fairburn. Son Robert Pollock, husband of Kathleen for almost 59 years, took ownership of Lakewood after his father’s death a half-century ago, up until the property’s sale in 2011 for $2.1-million.

“The Pollock family also appears to have a long-term association with the Toronto lakefront,” Ms. Fairburn said, noting the family’s descendants are believed to have immigrated to Toronto around 1838, operating one of the Humber River’s historic mills.

In the mid-20th century, she said, the Pollocks hosted a variety of dignitaries at Lakewood, including Lieutenant-Governor Louis Breithaupt.

“Robert Pollock maintains that the erection of Lakewood fulfilled a dream of his father to live in the country and maintain horses,” Ms. Fairburn added. “He recalls riding on horseback with friends to the edge of the bluff where, on occasion, they would dismount and hurtle down the cliff face for a swim below.”

Now 93, Robert Pollock, a veteran of the Second World War, lives at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre. “He’s doing well,” said Greg Pollock on Friday. “We talked to him today and he said ‘We’ll get through this’.”

About a year ago, Ms. Fairburn unsuccessfully pressed to have Lakewood designated a heritage property amid plans by its new owner to tear it down for redevelopment.

Councillor Gary Crawford, who represents Scarborough Southwest and is on the board of Heritage Toronto, said community council decided not to pursue a heritage designation for the house in part because of its dereliction. But the city is looking at other ways to preserve the historic value, such as salvaging a large stone fireplace in the basement that apparently originated in Queen’s Park.

In a letter to community council drafted during the heritage debate, Kathleen and Robert Pollock sided with the home’s new owner, saying they “fully expected” any purchaser to tear it down. “The house was in need of extensive interior repairs and the exterior was also showing signs of deterioration,” they noted. “We knew it was probably not feasible to invest a lot of money to fix up the existing structure.”

“It died a slow graceful death and it’s time for change,” said Greg about the house. “I’d rather see my memories disappear with the house, like save them, rather then have someone live in my memories.”

Regardless of how Kathleen Pollock felt inside about her former home being demolished, one thing is certain: she was willing to make the 14-kilometre trip from her retirement condo to see it one last time.

Said Mr. Vit: “Some people know when it’s time to go home.” – National Post
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“Harvey Robert Pollock’s family were prominent in the shoe business and in the 1950s rivaled Maher Shoes as the leading shoe retailer in Toronto, with over 20 stores, more than the iconic Bata Shoe retailer. The Scarborough Preservation Committee supported the heritage designation of the Pollock house, based partly on the historic significance of the contribution of the Pollock family’s shoe business, but Council eventually did not agree, siding instead with the developer” – Rick Schofield, Scarborough Archivist