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Rita Pollard Lund, 59, of 6085 Fifth St. in Fairview Beach, King George County, died at her home Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009.
Ms. Lund was born Aug. 28, 1950, in Vallscreek, W.Va., daughter of the late Willard and the late Faye Perry Pollard.
A resident of King George for the past 18 years, she previously lived in Alexandria and Arlington.
She was the wife of James W. Lund, whom she married on Dec. 30, 1969.
Ms. Lund was a wonderful, intelligent, generous and loving person with highly noteworthy abilities and achievements in many different areas of endeavor.
After high school graduation, she went on to nursing school and then worked for doctors in Arlington and in Washington, D.C.
She then worked for Watergate Management Associates, which managed The Watergate in Washington.
She then worked on Capitol Hill for a congressman from Iowa. From there, she joined the White House staff in President Carter's Domestic Policy Office. When President Carter was replaced by President Reagan, Ms. Lund was one of only a very small number of White House staff who were asked to stay to work for President Reagan.
In the Reagan White House, Ms. Lund worked for President Reagan's Science Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
In 1983, when President Reagan's deputy science adviser left the White House to form his own telecommunications company, he asked Ms. Lund to leave the White House and work for him. So Ms. Lund spent the next 12 years working in Washington for Telecom Futures Inc., an international telecommunications company that specialized in satellite-based telecommunications systems. During that time period, Ms. Lund traveled extensively all around the world. Her travels included multiple trips to China, beginning in 1983 when visits to China were still rare.
While working for Telecom Futures Inc., she was also a consultant to Scott Science and Technology and to Vanguard Space Corp. Both were companies in the business of launching rockets to put satellites into space.
She was a member of AIAA, NAFE, Women in Aerospace, the American Space Transportation Association, and Competitive Alliance Space Enterprise.
Ms. Lund has been recognized in "Who's Who," in "Who's Who in Science and Engineering" and in "Who's Who of American Women."
For the last 14 years, Ms. Lund worked as manager of operations and a corporate officer of Puckett Brothers Construction Co. in King George. For many years, she was also a commonwealth of Virginia marriage commissioner.
She was predeceased by two sisters, Juanita Davidson and Patricia Campbell; a brother, Donald Pollard; nephews Marty Pollard, Marcus Pollard and Norman Pollard; and a niece, Michelle Pollard.
She is survived by her husband, James Lund; a sister, Donna Knight; brothers Ronald Pollard, Norman Pollard and David Pollard; nephews Kirby Davidson, Donald Campbell Jr., Jason Pollard, Shaun Pollard, Jacob Knight and Tyler Pollard; and nieces Regina Gernatt, Cindy Carl and Madison Pollard.
Viewing hours will be held at Covenant Funeral Service, 4801 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral service in her honor will be held in the Fredericksburg Chapel of Covenant Funeral Service on Monday, Oct. 12, at noon.
Friends are invited to attend. Burial will take place in Historyland Memorial Park.
Covenant Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements. An online guest book is available at covenantfuneral service.com.
