Roll Call Tribute

Jeffrey Brian Pollicoff 

November 18, 1952 - July 1, 2025 

Jeffrey Brian Pollicoff, 72, loving husband, father, brother and loyal friend, died unexpectedly on July 1, 2025, with his beloved wife Laurie at his side while vacationing together on a dream trip to Rome, Italy. Born in Galveston, Texas, on November 18, 1952, to his parents Isadore (Immy) and Ida Melnick Pollicoff, Jeffrey was the younger brother to Howard, the two born one year apart on exactly the same day.

Raised much like twins, Jeffrey and his brother held an inseparable bond throughout their lives until the last day they shared. With a ready smile, great sense of humor, avid curiosity, adventurous spirit and kind heart, Jeffrey tackled each day embracing those around him and life to its fullest.

From Galveston, the family moved to Houston where they were surrounded by their parents' large loving families. In 1957, they settled in Westbury, a new neighborhood in southwest Houston that was exploding with new development, young families, an abundance of friends, and plenty of wide-open fields and bayous to explore. Jeffrey attended Shearn, Parker and Anderson Elementary Schools, played pickup ball in the neighborhood's vacant lots and Westbury Little League, and enjoyed many family gatherings along with excursions back to Galveston and the beach.

At the ages of 8 and 9, Jeffrey and his brother's lives took a tragic turn with the death of their beloved mother Ida. Their mother's extended family stepped in to embrace the family as they struggled to find their footing and a path forward. Shortly after, in 1962, their father made the tough decision to move his sons to Bryan, Texas. An engineer, he was transferred there by Texaco to work on the company's pipeline projects. The shock of losing their mother, leaving close family and friends behind and living in a new place, drew the brothers even closer as their father worked hard to rebuild their lives.

Despite there being only a handful of Jewish families in Bryan, the family felt welcomed and embraced by the community they found there, and appreciated its slower pace and sense of security. But with their father's frequent absences, they had to grow up fast. The brothers became fiercely independent, responsible and self-reliant, even at that young age. The boys' housekeeper was even dismissed after Jeffrey entered the ninth grade. The brothers were inseparable allies and best friends.

Extremely driven and competitive in whatever they did, Jeffrey and his brother thrived. They excelled in school, sports and music. From 1962 to 1970, they attended Bonham Elementary school, Jones Junior High School, and Stephen F. Austin High School. An outstanding athlete, Jeffrey played varsity football and baseball. In baseball, he was the cleanup hitter, the only player who could hit the ball clear over the fence. In football, the Pollicoff brothers' athletic skills and symbiotic relationship put them at the center of the SFA Broncos football team. Jeffrey played center, his brother quarterback, their closeknit teammates following their example and unspoken leadership. Jeffrey was also elected Student Body President his Senior Year and for years after graduation, Jeffrey still attended the annual Bronco Roundup reunion with his teammates in Bryan.

The Beatles and Rolling Stones hit the music scene during these formative years, inspiring youth across the globe. Jeffrey and his brother were no exception. They immediately fell in love with guitars, amps, live music, and guitar bands. At age 12, Jeffrey followed his brother's lead and taught himself guitar. They started their own bands, joined others and performed music, from rock 'n roll to soul and country, all over Brazos County. The bands found ready-made audiences and dedicated fans in the newly formed fraternities and sororities at Texas A&M. His love of playing and hearing live music remained a passion throughout Jeffrey's life.

In 1970, Jeffrey entered Texas A&M University to study electrical engineering, a smart recommendation by his father. He and his brother continued to live at home, both excelling in school, coaching youth teams, working part-time and playing music. Never shying away from a challenge, Jeffrey walked on to the freshman Aggie football team and was picked as the place kicker, a position he loved. With his friends, he helped found Sig Ep fraternity, one of the first fraternities on the Texas A&M campus.

After graduating from Texas A&M in 1974, Jeff accepted a job with ARCO to work as a petroleum engineer in Dallas in the off shore division, just as a new Texas oil boom was taking off. He saw the growing opportunities and quickly decided he needed to dive deeper into the business side, so he enrolled in the MBA night school program at SMU. In 1976, ARCO transferred him back to Houston to work in the on shore division. But the business bug had bitten him hard, so he followed his new passion and accepted an offer with Texas Commerce Bank, capitalizing on his experience and expertise to make loans to oil and gas companies. To fine-tune his abilities to create the deals even more, he also decided to pursue a law degree at the University of Houston Law School, attending classes at night while still working full time at the bank.

It was the right move at the right time. In 1980, he graduated from U of H Law school and formed his first law firm, Whitmore, Sheppard and Pollicoff, with some of his fellow law school classmates. Jeffrey quickly developed a reputation for his highly ethical dealing, keen intellect, excellent business judgement, sound legal advice and his incomparable ability to find common ground and build strong relationships. His business transactions and bankruptcy practice grew quickly attracting many independent oil and gas and other general businesses. His law practice thrived and evolved to include new partners including David Smith, Keith Remels and Susan Myres.

While Jeffrey was working at ARCO, his friends badgered him to join them for an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. It was on that trip that Jeffrey's closest friends introduced him to a sweet Texas A&M grad from Needville, Texas, whom they had also convinced to drop everything and join them. The two immediately clicked, began dating and quickly knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. In 1990, Jeff and Laurie were married in Houston and settled in Sugar Land, Texas.

Happily, in 1993, they welcomed their beloved daughter, Paige. Paige immediately became the light and center of Jeffrey's and Laurie's lives. Inseparable, they attended her school activities, dance performances and more. They took family vacations, often to Vegas where they had met and fallen in love, or to New York City where they could share their love for live music, concerts and Broadway musicals. Paige attended the University of Texas, after graduation moved to Portland, Oregon, then back to Austin as she advanced her career. Her Aggie parents never blinked an eye and were always her devoted and avid supporters. When Paige married Carter in 2023, no one was prouder or happier for her than her father. Jeffrey had continually tried to teach Paige all that he had learned through his successes and mistakes, to understand the people around her and the world of business, to be kind, loving, ethical and to work hard. Most importantly, he taught her to believe in herself, to know that she was loved, and if she worked hard, she could achieve anything.

Jeffrey was preceded in death by his parents, Isadore and Ida Melnick Pollicoff. He is survived by his devoted and beloved wife, Laurie, of Sugar Land, daughter, Paige Pollicoff and husband Carter Altman-Kaough, of Austin; his brother Howard and Sukoshi (Pat) Pollicoff, of Sugar Land; nephew Steven Pollicoff and wife Yael (Benjamin & Hannah), of Reston, Virginia; niece Dara Pollicoff Smith (Austin & Samuel) and Jake Smith (Charlie); niece Drew Pollicoff Lehmann and husband Michael (Pierce, Parker, Jack & Isla); along with his mother's sole surviving sister Bernice Melnick Zieben of Houston, and numerous close family, cousins and friends, here and across the country.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, July 18, at 12:30 p.m., at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 North Braeswood, Houston, Texas, 77096. 

In lieu of food or flowers, Laurie and Paige ask that you consider making donations to the American Heart Association, the Houston Food Bank, Texas A&M University, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Brazos Valley, in Bryan, Texas, or a charity of your choice.