Rita Nora (Pollard) Burgess

Rita Nora Burgess

      Rita Nora Burgess, nee Nora Elizabeth Pollard, 88, formerly of Palmyra, passed away on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 in Darby, Pennsylvania.          

      She was born on January 21, 1931, in Charlottesville, the only daughter of the late Francis Kerr Pollard and Verna (Robertson) Pollard.     

      She was happily married to William Harold Burgess, Jr for 62 years until his death after a long illness in 2015.  In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers Francis Kerr Pollard Jr. (Jack), Charles Miller Pollard (Gus), Roger Nelson Pollard (Bo), and William Edward Pollard (Willie); and by her daughter-in-law, Peggy Burgess. 

      Rita graduated from Scottsville High School and then attended Longwood College in the two-year Secretarial Business Program. She graduated from The University of Pennsylvania in 1973 with a B.A. degree in History, cum laude.  She earned her Master of Library Science from Villanova University in 1984, followed by a concentration in Special Libraries.  Over the course of her career, she variously worked as a secretary, substitute teacher, paralegal, and law librarian.  She was a recent member of the Friends of Scottsville Museum, the Fluvanna Historical Society, and the Wetlands Institute of New Jersey.  She believed in active citizenship taking care to volunteer at election time and cast her vote.   She maintained memberships in various nature conservancies, national parks and volunteered at the Fluvanna Library and the Hagley Museum  She travelled extensively in the British Isles as well as the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Italy.  She enjoyed genealogical research, politics, real estate, art, and music.  One of her favorite activities was reading news publications and discussing current events.  Throughout her life she was blessed with excellent conversational skills and a curious and lively intellect.

     Survivors include three children: William Burgess, III (Christine), Nora Blair (Roy Beatty), and Douglas Burgess; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.  She was always looking out for her family’s welfare, encouraging their unity as a family as well as their educational, artistic, musical and career aspirations.

      A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at Thacker Brothers Lake Monticello Funeral Home.  A private burial will follow. 

      The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

       In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:  The Scottsville Museum, PO Box 101, Scottsville VA 24590.    

      Family and friends may share memories and photos at www.thackerbrothers.com.

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