| Elaine I. Pollard |

Elaine was born on August 12, 1939 in Loup City. She was the second oldest child of Ed and Stella (Kosmicki) Sekutera, and she spent her childhood growing up and working on a farm in Litchfield.

Elaine graduated from Litchfield High School in 1956. After high school she went to college in Kearney, attending Kearney State College from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in teaching. She loved to teach and she got her first teaching job at a rural school in Loup City teaching grades one through twlelve. On August 22, 1959, Elaine married Jerome L.

Chelewski to whom they had five kids and lived on a farm in Loup City. Following a divorce in 1966, Elaine and her children moved to Grand Island, and she began working at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant for three years. Elaine worked a few jobs in between before becoming a bakery manager at a local supermarket for the Nash Finch Corporation in 1975.

On November 29, 1975, Elaine married Jerry L.

Pollard. The couple had another son and they resided in Grand Island.

In total Elaine had six children: Bernice, Tom, Steve, Don, David, and Mike. She retired from Nash Finch in 1986.

Elaine loved kids and after retiring from Nash Finch she began a day care business, which gave her the opportunity to continue teaching and taking care of small children. Besides teaching, Elaine had a love for country, Polka, and Christian music. She also loved psychology and liked to travel and do various types of cognitive puzzles. One of her most talked about trips was to Israel in the year 2000.

Elaine always had a “can do” attitude and liked to look at things optimistically.

Elaine was the beloved grandmother and great-grandmother of eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Survivors include her husband, Jerry; daughter, Bernice Ginn of Parker, Colorado; sons, Steve of Aurora, Colorado, Don of Omaha, David of Tallahassee, Florida, and Mike of Broomfield, Colorado.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Stella Sekutera; her son, Thomas; her brothers, Alvin, Arnold, and Joseph; and her sister, Maxine.

The Rosary and memorial service were both held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Grand Island on August 19th and 20th. Elaine was laid to rest in the Grand Island Cemetery.

The Sherman County Times | December 17, 2025