It is with great sadness that the family of Pamela (Heyman) Loucks announces her passing May 9 from complications of Parkinson’s disease and a very bad fall. She will be buried next to her beloved parents, Paul and Pauline Heyman, and her maternal grandparents, Albert and Bessie Dougan at the Ulysses Cemetery just East of Ulysses, at 10 a.m., June 8.
Garnand Funeral Home will be handling the ceremonial details.
She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Harvey Loucks Jr., her son, Eric; her daughter-in-law, Ilene; and her two granddaughters: Sofia and Anabel all of whom had a close, loving relationship with Pam; and her older sister, Josandra (Heyman) Barnes, Lawrence, Kans.
The family will be hosting a reception following the burial at Bear Creek Coffee Company in Ulysses.
Pam was born in Garden City in January of 1948 and grew up in the family’s new home in Ulysses.
She met Harvey Loucks Jr. the first day of freshman year of high school. While sitting behind Harvey, she noted his friend giving him a bad time about shaving his sprouting fuzz. Hearing this, Pam piped up “well at least he’s man enough to have some facial hair.” That ended the kidding and Harvey decided then and there that this gal was someone he was going to get to know a lot better. Pam went on to be a straight A student, cheerleader, Drum Major for the marching band, champion debater, excellent pianist, saxophone and oboe player, and even played organ for the Methodist Church.
She and Harvey started dating at the end of their junior year, and began college at the University of Kansas together after graduation. Pam majored consecutively in organ, music therapy, art history, and finally English Literature.
She and Harvey married while in school, had their son, Eric, and after Harvey graduated in Mechanical Engineering, they left Kansas to live and work in Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Although Pam had only a semester left to finish her English Lit degree, when she got to California, she fell in love with the flowering horticulture there and went on to earn a degree in ornamental horticulture from Foothill College. She also went on to become a California Certified Nurseryman, and a Santa Clara County Master Gardener.
In addition to being a superb wife, mother, and homemaker, she spent nearly 15 years working in the plant nursery business. She never met a piece of dirt that couldn’t be blessed with flowers. In her own gardens, she created masterpieces that family and friends admired and enjoyed.
Pam was passionate about her family, her gardening, her cats, and her reading, especially poetry. We should add classical art and music as well. Over her life, she wrote many poems which the family only recently discovered. She also read two or three books a week and shared these interests in several book clubs.
Pam loved travel and she and Harvey were fortunate to be able to visit many parts of the world. Her collections of art and found objects from these trips decorated her homes and gardens.
Although we are grieving about her absence, we will remember Pam for the joy of her presence as a great gift and all of the happy, loving times we had together.
Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.
