PEKIN ~ Pamela Sue Saal, 70, of Goodyear, Arizona, since 2021, passed away at 4:31 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Banner Del E Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, Arizona. She was formerly of East Peoria, Peoria, and North Pekin.
Born April 30, 1953 in Peoria to Donald E. and Shirley M. (Boster) Rybolt, she married Walter E. Saal on July 5, 1991 in Peoria.
Surviving are her husband of Goodyear; two sisters, Dianne (Jimmy) Smith of Troy, Missouri and Marcie (Donald) Jacobsen of North Pekin and several nieces and nephews.
Pamela was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Gary Rybolt and Danny Rybolt.
Pamela graduated from East Peoria Community High School, where she was elected to the National Honor Society. She became a highly decorated nurse who graduated from the Methodist School of Nursing, and then earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN) from the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. During her 45-year nursing career, Pamela worked as a registered nurse in many capacities. She was an RN at the Methodist Medical Center and OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, the Pekin Memorial Hospital, as the Assistant Director at St. Francis Woods in Peoria, and as the Director of Programs & Staff Training for the new start-up Rosewood Care Center of Peoria. She was highly trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and became the lead nurse for a Trauma Intensive Care & Life Support Unit. She also did travel nursing for a period of time. Pamela ended her nursing career by joining Caterpillar, Inc., where she was the sole nurse at the Caterpillar East Peoria Proving Grounds, became the first Caterpillar nurse promoted to management, and subsequently retired from Caterpillar on January 1, 2016 with 18 years of service.
Pam enjoyed cooking, reading, crafting, music, and most of all – using her medical training to help people in their time of need.
Her private graveside rites will be held in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin. There will be no visitation. Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin is assisting the family with her arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the faith-based cancer support group that provided such wonderful support to both Pamela and Walter: Team Up! Against Cancer, P.O. Box 30907, Phoenix, AZ 85046 (www.teamupagainstcancer.com).
To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com
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