ID: I5
Name: Pamela Ellen MORRISON
Surname: Morrison
Given Name: Pamela Ellen
Sex: F
Birth: 30 Sep 1953 in Camp Lejuene, Onslow, North Carolina
Death: 20 Feb 2003 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah 1
_UID: DD967926785B59448F26E1EAD16CB3C9BB9E
Change Date: 28 Mar 2003 at 00:00:00
Father: LIVING
Mother: LIVING
Marriage 1
Living
Children
 Living- Living
- Living
- Living
Sources:
- Title: Obituary
Text: Pamela Ellen (Morrison) Tonkovich was a loving, creative, gentle mother and preschool teacher. Over the years, her classroom was a safe haven and place of discovery for hundreds of impressionable young children.
Pam died of cancer at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, on Tuesday, the 25th of February. She was 49 years old.
Pam was born in Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, on the 30th of September, 1953, and grew up in Errol, New Hampshire, where her father was a logger. Pam had fond memories of growing up in the forest and of helping her father repair logging equipment. When the timber industry moved south, her family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she completed high school as an honor's student.
In 1971, she came west to attend Brigham Young University, where she defied her father's advice "never to date any boys from Wyoming." At BYU she met her future husband, Kevin, who was the only boy undeterred by her ugly back brace that she had to wear as a result of an inner-tubing accident. Pam finished two years at BYU and returned home to complete her Bachelor's Degree at North Carolina State University in 1975. After a 3 year letter-writing courtship, Pam and Kevin got married in Washington D.C. on the 28th of June, 1975. Pam skipped her own college graduation to attend her wedding.
Both Pam and Kevin chose to become teachers and their family lived in Provo, Utah, Eugene, Oregon, and Eagle River, Wisconsin, before eventually returning to Worland, Wyoming (where Kevin grew up). Pam's career as a preschool teacher began in Eugene and continued in Eagle River and Worland. Her classroom was a humane place, where children were welcomed with open arms despite their "disabilities" and weaknesses. Pam also worked as a receptionist for Frontier Archaeology during its years of operation, where she welcomed various archaeologists despite their disabilities and weaknesses. Most recently, Pam was employed by the Children's Resource Center and was a teacher and case manager in Thermopolis. She was instrumental in helping to build a strong program there.
Pam and Kevin had a curly-headed daughter born in each of the locations they lived. Katie and her husband Britt, Megan, and Annie, all currently reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. Emily lives with her father in Worland. Walter and Ollie (Brown) Morrison still live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Pam was a talented, creative woman, who poured her energy into her family and work and came home exhausted every night. She loved gardening, travelling, and home-improvement, and her home (no matter how messy) was always a late-night haven for her childrens' many teen-aged friends. Pam cultivated the talent of being a good listener and because of that ability, she had numerous friends of all ages. She was a gentle, loving woman-the kind of person the world needs in these warlike, troubled times.
Pam's body has been cremated and the remains will be scattered in Yellowstone Park later this spring (when the rangers aren't looking). No funeral will be held, but an informal memorial celebration of her life will be held at the Washakie County Museum on Saturday, March 1st, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. The public is invited. If you wish, please bring a picture of Pam and/or an anecdote about a memory of her written on a card to put on a bulletin board. Please don't waste money on flowers, but rather make a donation in her name to your favorite charity.
Pam's family thanks the numerous individuals who have so generously helped our family in monetary and spiritual ways over the last hard years. Many of you are anonymous, but please know that we appreciate you.
Note: received by email
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