Ian Richmond Pollitt

Ian Richmond Pollitt, CAPT, USN (Ret.), irreplaceable husband to Catherine Lueker Pollitt, devoted father to Eleanor and Nathaniel, passed away unexpectedly on August 10, 2025 after a lengthy battle with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC).

Ian was born on November 30,1967 in Inglewood, CA to Wendy Carol Richmond. The consummate seafarer, his relationship with the sea began at the age of seven when he, his mother, and her husband set sail in a homemade boat on a grand adventure to the South Pacific. After three years sailing to ports in the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, and Samoa, the trio’s vessel was damaged in a typhoon while headed to the Gilbert Islands. Ten-year-old Ian lobbied hard for a return to a more traditional life, so they headed towards Hawai’i to make repairs. They bounced around the Hawaiian islands for a time between Kaua’i and Moloka’i; eventually, Ian was enrolled at the ‘Iolani School on O’ahu. Ian excelled in the classroom and also loved bodysurfing and Keneke’s shave ice. After high school, he put himself through Harvard with an NROTC scholarship and a multitude of work-study jobs. He loved living in Cambridge and developed a life-long affinity for the Red Sox, Pinocchio’s, and North End pastries.

Commissioned into the Navy in 1989, he served 24 years, noting throughout his career that he would leave the service when he stopped having fun. At one point, early on, he was tempted by graduate school and made preparations to attend law school, only to rescind his resignation after a rescue at sea where he was tasked with sailing the disabled sailboat into the nearest port. Other highlights of his distinguished career included meeting his wife in Newport, teaching sailing to midshipmen at the US Naval Academy and commanding USS Thunderbolt (PC 12)and USS Klakring (FFG 42). He also earned his graduate degree: Master of Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.

He became a father at the turn of the century then welcomed a second child two years later, and for the first time in his life, he felt a pull that was stronger than the sea. Despite the significant time away that comes with military service, Ian was ever present in his children's lives. Weekends at home meant DFTs (Daddy Fun Things), which ranged from trips to Sea Life Park to feed the sea turtles to frisbee time with the dog to extra batting practice at the closest ball field. He volunteered for the kids’ sports teams whenever he could and even became a swim official when that became their sole focus.

A diagnosis of stage 2 kidney cancer on his 44th birthday gave him pause but didn’t slow him down. Instead, he embraced a carpe diem philosophy and set out to travel the world with his family. Over the course of four summers, the quartet visited Italy, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico and Alaska, mostly getting there via Space-A military transports. As the kids went off to college, Ian went back into the workforce and settled back in with the Navy as the civilian Deputy Logistics Director for Fourth Fleet. At the start of the Covid pandemic, his cancer, thought to be in remission, had not only returned but also metastasized. While radiation treatment worked its magic on the most concerning areas, he was slated for a lifetime of chemotherapy and infusions every three weeks. Once the treatments shifted to every six weeks, Ian embraced the freedom it afforded and looked to travel once more, refusing to let the cancer define who he was. At the suggestion of the kids in 2021, Ian and Cate began a quest to visit every national park; they had completed 45 of the 63 at the time of his death as well as over one hundred lesser-known historical sites and monuments.

Ian loved to curl up with a blanket and the cat he alleged that he “didn’t want” and read; historical fictions, such as Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series, were his favorite. In a similar vein, he was great with words - literally. He frequently got the Wordle in two tries. He unironically enjoyed listening to a cappella music and loved to pretend he was technologically inept. Whether he actually didn’t know how to queue songs will remain a mystery. One thing is for certain, he knew how to screenshot dad jokes he saw online and send them in the family group chat. He was an avid fan of baseball, particularly of the Red Sox and the WashU players that made it to the big leagues, and he knew more niche MLB stats than almost anyone. He liked golfing, hiking, and cycling on greenways. He also loved to experiment in the kitchen and was a doting caretaker to his ginormous basil plant. He may have created the best asparagus recipe potentially ever - the key ingredient being LOL (Lots of Lemon).

Ian was an incredibly sharp, compassionate, and driven man with a real knack for being a dad. He held himself to the highest standards and exceeded expectations in nearly every situation. He was a logistical mastermind, both at work and when it came to planning the next big adventure with his family. He had an impactful naval career and a wonderful marriage lasting nearly 31 years, which produced two fantastic people whom he was justifiably proud of and who will carry out his legacy. He is already dearly missed, but he continues to live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

In keeping with his wishes, Ian will be scattered quietly in some of his favorite places. He asked that in lieu of flowers, friends consider contributing in his memory to MD Anderson Cancer Center (https://gifts.mdanderson.org/Default.aspx?tsid=26369&intcmpid=mdaccorg_donate) or UNC Department of Medicine (https://give.unc.edu/give/dmed) in support of RCC research.