It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the passing of Pam, my loving wife of 47 years. She lost her year-and-a-half battle with ovarian cancer on Saturday, November 5, 2022. She fought her fight with great determination, strength, and grace, but was finally ready for peace and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Each of you got to know Pam at one time or another, and are aware of how smart, witty, and efficient she was. Pam grew up in Dallas, Texas, and developed interests that would prepare her for life. She was active in youth programs through her family church and sang in her church choir. Along with her parents, she participated in bowling leagues and won a Dallas area championship for her age group when she was eleven, giving her determination and competitiveness. Pam was a member of the Girl Scouts program, and volunteered her service as a “Candy-Striper” nurse at Dallas’ Presbyterian Hospital. Pam furthered her commitment to faith and service to others through membership in the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic youth service organization. By her senior year in high school, Pam’s leadership skills lead her to be selected as the Worthy Advisor, the presiding officer for meetings of the Assembly. Pam’s interest in music started early with tap-dance and piano lessons. She would go on to play clarinet in her junior and senior high school marching bands and was selected as the Drum Majorette in her senior year.
Perhaps what laid one of the greatest foundations for the rest of her life was the growth and interest in all crafts, but especially sewing. Pam developed a passion for designing and sewing original fashion apparel for teen girls. She won awards at the Texas State Fair for sewing, and was featured in an article in the Dallas Times Herald as a “Top Teen” for her abilities in fashion design. Pam would continue an interest in crafts and sewing as an adult, but her greatest passion was for quilting. She made countless quilts over the years, winning blue ribbons in Denver County Fairs.
Another foundation was her intellect and academic success. She was an A-student through high school, gaining membership in the National Honor Society. She graduated from Hillcrest High School in Dallas,Texas, in 1971. She then entered the University of Texas at Austin where she would graduate in December, 1974 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics with Honors, with an emphasis in textiles and fashion design. While at Texas, Pam was member of Delta Gamma Sorority.
Following graduation, her career and life path would change. In January, 1975, fresh out of college, Pam started a 45-year career in banking, first in a major downtown Houston bank opening new accounts. She worked a total of eight years in banks in Houston and Austin, gaining a solid background in loan operations. In 1983, Pam and her family moved to the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado. She started working at Denver National Bank, moving into consumer and small business lending. She completed a three-year Graduate School of Banking program at the University of Washington in 1987. Denver National Bank was later acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Pam transitioned into Private Wealth Management lending where she was often within the top five percent of lenders, nationally, in the JPM organization. Pam retired after 26 years of service for JPM in 2009, but was recruited out of retirement by Colorado State Bank & Trust where she continued in Private Wealth Management lending. She worked there another eleven years, rising to the level of Senior Vice-President. CSB&T was later acquired by BOK Financial, and Pam retired, again, in December, 2020.
Pam adapted easily to life in Colorado. She enjoyed skiing, camping, hiking and visited all areas of the state. She also enjoyed touring all across the United States and traveling internationally.
Pam married John M. Whitehill on May 31, 1975 in Dallas, Texas. They enjoyed 47 and half years together and had two children; Melissa A. “Missy” Whitehill and Robert M. “Bobby” Whitehill. Missy lives in the Atlanta suburb of Smyrna, Georgia, has an 18-year old son, Adrien Parenteau, a high school senior, and works in the commercial real estate leasing business. Bobby and his wife Tessy live in the Los Angeles area where he works in the aerospace industry and she in the investments management of university endowment funds.
A funeral service for Pamela will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2022, starting and 10:00am at Christ Church Denver, and will be immediately followed by a grave-side committal, and then reception at the Olinger Chapel Hill Funeral Home. Full details regarding these events can be found at the following link; Pamela Whitehill Obituary - Centennial, CO
I hope many of you will be able to join us in a celebration of Pam’s life and share memories of your experiences with her. We will pray for Pam’s soul, and take comfort in knowing she is in the company of God.
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