Pamela Wickham - 1955-2019

Pamela Wickham has passed from this earth; she is on her journey around the ring. The fairies came out to thank her for every flower she planted, for every time she saved a buttercup from the weed wacker, for every foxglove dug from a ditch, for every flower picked from your garden. She was a force. An outlaw. Some of you felt that. Some of you know.

She started life in Salem, Oregon. Her parents, Oscar and Helen Wickham, lived in the community of Sunnyside, Oregon. She was one of three children. Her siblings, Tony and Jeannie, were both older. She was abandoned by her father after her mother passed. This event shaped her strength. She joined the carnival at 16; to survive, she did what was needed. She loved the places she had been. She felt that angels had shown her to a cabin in Idanha, Oregon. She called Grand-shera-mina her home having lived from Bunnsville to Ballston and all the places between. She lived her last chapter in Salem and Independence, Oregon.

Pamela had her first child at 20, a boy, the first of three. She had her first daughter four years later; a few years after that, her second daughter was born. Her life was hard, as poverty will make life hard, but she held it together, keeping everyone who was hungry fed. Pammie always had a pot of witches’ brew, zucchini stew, or rabbit and dumplings cooking, and a huge bowl of salad in the fridge. If you were one of the blessed whom she adopted, you know. If you were not, then let me tell you, your loss. She was known for her love of music and dance. She was often at Benny Heuy’s in Sheridan dancing to the music. I can recall many times loud music spilling out of the car, pounding on the dash and singing along, sliding flat sideways around some bend in a gravel road. She is missed. She is now with her daughter Jeannie, and all her dogs. She had a life; she shaped her way as she saw fit. Pamela’s surviving kin are proud of her.

She earned an associate of science from Chemeketa Community College.

Pamela is survived by her brother, Tony Wickham; her sister in-law, Carol Wickham; her two children, Raina Wickham and Dylan Wickham; daughter in-law Michelle DeMello; son-in-law Timmy Gotsch; and two grandchildren, as well as her adopted family, which is vast, and they know who they are. She felt very loved in the end.

A celebration of her life, of the good times, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. November 9, 2019, at the Mary’s River Grange in Philomath, Oregon. All good vibes welcome. Blessed be.

To leave condolences for the family, go to www.hustonjost.com.