Born in 1931 in London, England to her parents Dorothy and Henry Taylor, "Pam" (as she was known to her friends and family) grew up in the early war years together with her older brother Ron and younger brother Reg. Pam often shared her memories of experiencing and surviving the German bombings of London during World War II with a particular memory of returning home from the bomb shelter, only to find that her home had been knocked off its foundation and was declared unfit for habitation. Her brother, Ron, was merely upset that their thriving vegetable garden had been destroyed. She and her siblings eventually lived out the end of the war with close friends of the family in the Welsh countryside.
In her teenage years, Pam enjoyed the best of what post World War II London had to offer, despite the dreadful destruction from the war. Living just off of Edgeware Road in the Western end of London, Pam fondly described Post War London as one of the most exciting periods of her life. She often spoke of her favorite English football team, the Tottenham Hotspurs and of her frequent visits to Wembley Stadium with her girlfriends to see motocross. It was in her late teens that she met her future husband, a "Yank" sailor stationed in London on "shore duty", George Mills, who she eventually married in 1950.
After George's London service, they were transferred to the United States, which began a period of frequent moves across the States including Jacksonville, FL, Warwick, RI, Pt. Magu and San Diego, CA. As her husband, George, was deployed for service, on multiple occasions for many months at a time, Pam found herself alone with her now four children. During these times, she relied heavily on her friendships with other Navy wives in similar situations. These wives, along with their husbands and children became close family friends; the Kelly's, the Restad's, the Hewitt's, the Alexander's and the Rehdorf's, among many others. The second stop in San Diego became their last and gave the family stability and eventually a permanent "home" on Nation Avenue in Chula Vista.
Pam had a stint as an "Avon Lady" which gave her the freedom to work while raising four children and then enjoyed a long career as an interior decorator with Sears Department Stores.
Pam had a passion for travel and crisscrossed the USA with her husband, visiting an endless number of National Parks (with her favorites being Yosemite and Zion) and taking a memorable rafting trip down the Colorado River. She also enjoyed many international trips to the Far East and Europe with her niece, Gail and her best friend, Elva Rehdorf, as well as trips with George to visit her son and family in Germany, Sweden, Guyana and Norway. Pam and George were also huge supporters of the San Diego State Women's Basketball Team and enjoyed road trips, especially to Las Vegas where Pam also enjoyed her passion for the casinos. She was a consistent winner in Keno and Slots and there's no doubt many a casino is still trying to recover their losses to Pam as she always seemed to win more than most.
Pam enjoyed being surrounded by her grandkids and great-grandchildren and together with George, took in an endless number of sporting events, school plays and graduations throughout the years.
Pam is survived and will be greatly missed by her daughter Linda (Tim), her sons George Jr. (Karen), Charles (Tori) and Bruce (Michelle) and their families. Pam was married to George for 58 years, until his passing in 2008. Pam will be interred with her late husband's ashes at Fort Roscrans National Cemetery.
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