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Nobody has just one biography. A person’s life is made up of a number of different impressions and roles they play to different people in their lives. Instead of having one biography of Pamela, this section is a place where multiple people can tell their own biography of Pamela, they way they knew her. Only this way will her full life story truly be told.
“Pamela was born on Sunday morning, January 11, 1953, at 9:14 am at Sheppard Field Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX. That day, it snowed in Texas, which was a rare event! We always joked that that was because Pam was really a Minnesota baby, since both her parents were from Minnesota!
She was a big, beautiful baby, weighing in at 10 lbs, 1 oz, 21 1/2 inches long with enormous dark blue eyes (later brown). Her hair, what there was of it, was blonde-brown. As her hair grew longer, it became curly and blonde, so that on her second birthday, she looked like a brown-eyed Shirley Temple.
When Pam was two years old, her favorite book was Little Black Samba. When her daddy, or I, came to the parts where Black Sambo meets a tiger, she would follow the story with her finger and excitedly announce, "More tiger!".
Pam was baptized at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Wichita Falls. She wore a traditional white organdy christening gown, handmade by her father's Aunt Leona, who had handcrocheted six inches of lace for the hem. Pam was perfectly quiet until Pastor Siewert sprinkled holy water on her head. Then, she announced in a loud cry, that she was the Lord's child. She never strayed from His side from that moment, despite youthful experiments in Transcendental Thought. Pam attended Sunday School faithfully, culminating in Confirmation at Peace Lutheran Church in Robbinsdale. She was active in Walther League and Choir and played her flute during church events and services.
As a seven-year-old musical prodigy, Pam was selected through statewide piano competitions to play in a concert at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. She did this for three years, competing with musicians much older than she. When Pam was nine years old, she was presented in her own solo concert in Minneapolis, MN.
Pam began reading at age three. As a student, she was outstanding and was selected for accelerated junior and senior high curriculums. Pam was also very active in extracurricular activities. She was Captain of her school Safety Patrol, a writer for her school newspaper, and a six-year Girl Scout, where she was a Patrol Leader. Pam also appeared in plays in her community, at church, and at school. She especially loved music, playing the flute, piccolo, and oboe in both Marching Band and Concert/Orchestral Band. Dance was another love of Pam's. As a member of the Cooperettes, her high school dance line, she competed in statewide contests. Later, she studied Flamenco in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
In her sophomore year of high school, Pam became a Candy Striper at North Memorial Hospital, Robbinsdale, MN, where she served four years a nurse's aide. At the same time, she worked as a cashier at night and on weekends, all the while maintaining an Honor Roll status, scholastically. She was a popular, and fun-loving girl, with numerous friends.
After high school, Pam attended Mankato State College, Mankato, MN where she entered the Pre- Med curriculum. After two years, Pam left college to become the youngest girl hired as a stewardess by Pam American Airlines. She was stationed in London, England, flying world-wide. Pam spoke five languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French.
While in London, Pam met a charming Argentinian named Mario Vitale III. They were married in a civil ceremony in Hawaii, and later in a religious ceremony in Los Angeles, CA. I sang for my daughter's wedding, and her sister, Tamara Kay, was her maid of honor. Pamela and Mario had two wonderful children, Mario IV, and Marisa. Pam was the consummate Super Mom. After Pam and Mario divorced, Pam became a single mom. Working full-time the whole time, she still did the extra things for Mario IV and Marisa such as being a Room Mother, Scout Leader, Soccer Mom, member of the School Curriculum Planning Board, PT A, and unofficial counselor to many, many friends of her children and herself.
While working for Hewlett Packard, Los Angeles, CA, Pam rose, by her own intelligence and determination, from a Dispatch Clerk to an Executive Manager. Pamela further pursued her creative talents as a film production student at the University of California Film School, Los Angeles, CA. She successfully completed a student internship as a Film Production Assistant at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, CA. She also appeared as an extra in several of the films on which she worked. Later, as a west coast Regional Vice President for Informix, a computer network company, Pam traveled worldwide, training other executives and customers in computer network technology. Pamela was featured in the Who's Who in California Business publications, and various newspaper articles throughout the country. Her unceasing energy, and her pursuit of excellence in everything she did earned her the respect and admiration of all who knew her.
Pam was a dedicated, hard worker who, with her charm, enthusiasm, and beauty, drew people to her. Although her responsibilities were many, she always made time for family, friends, and colleagues, who needed love and counseling from "Dr. Pam". She helped numerous people with her generous heart and wide knowledge.
Pam met her husband, Daniel Horowitz, in California.
When she and Daniel planned, and built, their dream house, after living in a trailer on their mountain property for ten years, Pam was ecstatic. Pam was involved in every detail. It is truly "Pam's house". She was robbed of the joy of living in it. Pam's death has brought devastation and grief to hundreds of her loved ones across the globe. An incredible loss has been inflicted on us all. Pam was one of God's Elect when her life was so abruptly, and violently, ended. I am sure that He welcomed her saying,
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."”
-Carol Crowley Ludtke
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My mom loved peanut butter cookies, Neil Young and jamoca almond fugde ice cream. She faced life with enthusiasm as was evident in her smile, her spirituality, her dancing, her love of music and the arts. She spent time in Sedona learning meditation, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico fine tuning her flamenco and photography skills, she even jumped out of an airplane! She was a multi-faceted woman with strong determination, a lot of passion and unending love for her family and friends.
I can only attest to the years since I was born, but with even that I can honestly say my Mom was one of the most amazing people I’ve known. As a single mom to be able to raise two kids while excelling as a corporate executive, not to mention also being soccer mom, on school site council, den mother, and attending every single sports game, school play, band concert or any event my brother or I had, she was there without a doubt. We lived just about a mile away from her work, but she drove us to school and picked us up everyday almost ten miles away in order to get us into “the good schools.” We had to use one of her co-workers addresses just to get in. We were even caught once we were in high school, but as always, my mom was able to negotiate with the principal and we were able to stay. When I got older to appreciate all these things I asked how she was able to do it all, she just said, “I didn’t even question it, I just did it.” And that was my mom, able to just do it.
When my brother and I became teenagers my mom gave up her room and slept in the living room to give her two teens their own rooms. She lived without her own room for years. She helped us to get our first jobs and taught us independence and the value of the dollar by having us supporting ourselves with our own money. Eventhough we had little money, she always tried to teach us the finer things in life, had us tasting wine at a young age, taught us dining table etiquette, had us take cotillion classes, and took us to the ballet and theater. We even had a grand piano in our apartment. She filled our heads with confidence and always let us know that we could do anything we wanted if we put our minds to it. After all, she was the perfect example, seeing the world while getting paid as a flight attendant with Pan Am, being the highest Tupperware seller with two young babies and then getting into the computer world at an early age knowing it would be a lucrative career where she could rise quickly by being determined (even without having a college degree). She passed up many promotions in the workplace as they would demand more of her time and require traveling, time that would take her away from us kids.
Her spirit was unending, waking us up in the morning with songs, Sunday blueberry pancake breakfasts, her uncontrollable laughter that shook her nostrils and made her cry. The best were holidays and birthdays, she went all out, even as young adults, she’d still stay up all night and fill stockings and wrap presents and decorate the house, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, all of it, she just loved it. She was such a giving person, offering to adopt a friend of mine when her mother died at an early age, always giving back to the low income day care we went to as kids and even up until the day she died, offering her assistance and help to those who needed it. The last conversation I had with her she told me about saving the life of the foreman who was working on her dream house. She was known to do some extensive research on anyone’s medical issues, but the foreman’s were life threatening. She was able to have him transferred to a different hospital, get the right tests done and in the end, saved his life. She made me cry when she was telling me what happened. For my mom, this wasn’t even a question, when someone was in need, she’d lend a helping hand.
There’s too many things I miss about her to list them here, her eating cherry chip cake mix straight out of the box, the way she’d say, “Beeeeee Beee” like she did when we were babies, how touched she would get with every call, card or email sent to her, her “positive thinking” talks we’d have, her unconditional love and support, none of these even scratch the surface of all the things I miss and cherish about her. But what I can take with me is what she taught me, love, light and caring for others. I will see you again mom and can’t wait to wrap my arms around you.
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