Kelsey Drew Daniels Pollard from South Lake Tahoe, California, died at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California on November 20, 2025, from complications of liver failure and sepsis. She was 35 years old.

Kelsey was born in San Jose, California, on June 22, 1990. She was raised by her immensely loving and supportive parents and family in San Martin, California. In love with her parents' beautiful property, she explored every inch and learned to be an adventurer, playing in the creek, spending hours outdoors with her siblings, and trying to adopt every animal that crossed the property line. In school, she loved life sciences and she was also chosen to model her designs at the annual fashion show. She was highly social and had a lot of memorable friendships. She graduated from Live Oak High School in 2007, where she first met her future husband, Joseph Pollard.

About five years after graduating, she kept running into Joseph. She made the first move, and chose to be with him in 2013. In 2017, they moved into their first home together on Rose Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, and became homeowners in spring of 2022. She was married to Joseph on August 27, 2022, in Sonora, California at an incredibly beautiful ceremony officiated by her father, Mark Daniels. They were married for just over three years.

Kelsey grew up with a love of animals on her family's property. She was the reason her parents had their Australian Shepherd, Piper and her puppy, Indy. In 2017, Kelsey got her first dog Poppy Jasper. During Covid, Kelsey made the optimistic decision to bring home her second puppy, Orla. And in 2023, She convinced Joe to take on the ambitious job of raising a litter of pups and placing them in their new homes. From that litter they kept Orla's pup, Evie Luna. She passionately loved and cared for all three of her beautiful companions and fellow adventurers.

Kelsey saw her career as a means to an end in achieving her dream life. Her adventuring spirit meant that she took a lot of opportunities that came her way. She became a restaurant manager at Ivano's Italian Restaurant and spent several years at Grand Central Pizza & Pasta. She loved working at the American Legion Post 99 in Campbell. When Kelsey and Joseph moved to South Lake Tahoe, the patrons threw a fundraiser to help her cover moving costs because they loved her so much.

Kelsey loved the outdoors. Her favorite spots were the meadows near her Tahoe home, Pinecrest, Angels Camp, and her family's property in San Martin. Kelsey was warm and accepting. She lived with awe and wonder for the natural world. She could find beauty in everything. She made friends with people from all walks of life. She was optimistic, hopeful, and compassionate. She loved cooking and homemade pickling, getting her nails done, hosting family and friends in her beautiful, thoughtful, well-appointed home, as well as spending time with family and friends riding motorcycles and camping. Her love of music was something that she shared with Joseph and her family and everyone she knew. She loved watching live music and attended many concerts and music festivals. Kelsey was the kind of person who never wasted a moment. She was always planning two steps ahead, using her time wisely to grow, learn, and quietly take care of the people she cared about. She had an amazing sense of humor and she loved to pull pranks. She traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, and Southern California, and she loved the ocean and the lake near her home.

She is survived by her loving husband, Joseph Pollard, her beloved mother and father, Kisti and Mark Daniels, her older brother Evan Daniels, her younger brother, Lane and his wife Stacy (Ayraud) Daniels, and her sister Brooke Daniels, as well as by her grandmother, Patricia Lea Daniels, her close extended family, and her in-laws, the Pollard Family. Kelsey believed that family was everything. She created beautiful bridges and connections with each one of us. She had a remarkable sense of what was important and how to prioritize what really mattered. It's our heartfelt wish to remember her desire for us to hold one another close.

Her vibrant spirit and radiant smile brought joy and light into our lives, and her memory will forever remain in our hearts.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, December 11 at the Leverton Masonic Center - Morgan Hill from 6-9 PM. A light dinner will be provided and a brief program will be held at 7 pm. Please RSVP to Brooke Daniels or Laura Pollard by Monday, December 8.  Please email kddfamilylove@gmail.com.

Leverton Masonic Center - 380 W Dunne Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Kelsey had a unique and fashionable style, so the dress for this event is casual attire – come as you are.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make donations directly to her Go Fund Me, the  National Park Foundation, or the National Humane Society.