Obituary - Pam gave her best to family and community

LOVED TO COOK: Pam Ritchie (left) in ever-happy mood pictured recently with Margaret Fish at Sail Rock Cafe, her second home.

A large crowd packed the Mangawhai Club last month to celebrate the life of Pam Ritchie. 

Born in the relatively carefree times of 1958, Pam was number seven out of eight children, spending her formative years in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt. 

The family moved to Hamilton. Then at the age of 17, Pam travelled to Norfolk Island where she lived for the next eight years, working in the perfume industry. 

Pam developed into a very good quash player, travelling to the other Pacific Islands playing squash and represented Norfolk Island at the South Pacific games, picking up a silver medal.

From Norfolk Island she embarked on her big OE to London where she worked in multiple jobs. She travelled to Europe, Greece, Italy, Moroco, France, and finally India and Bali.

Back in New Zealand she again showed her versatility and managed an IHC home in Howick, a situation which takes a special person.

Through mutual friends, Mark and Pam met in Wellsford around 1987. Mark loved music and would get together with mates for jam sessions and although their mates were trying to match them, the spark of romance came a little later.

Mark worked in Mangawhai at the Naja Garden Centre for Jack and Nat Spijksma. Mark moved back to Auckland and their partnership began.

Ali arrived in October 1989. They moved back to Mangawhai where Giverny was born in October 1991.

Pam embraced Marks daughters Brooke and Jess as her own, so they got a good deal with two mums, and two extra sisters when Jess married Dan, Pam got three grandkids as a bonus with Shay, Jackson and Nate.

Pam had a great work ethic, always looking for any work that was going, to help make ends meet while being a great mum, and raising her girls. She jumped into community activities teaching gymnastics at Mangawhai Beach School, coaching netball, committed to preschool and as parent help on school camps.

When the girls wanted a day off school to go shopping she called it a ‘mental’ health day.

She worked at Bammas, Four Square, Quatro, and Sail Rock for almost 10 years – she loved to cook.

Rolling up her sleeves, she helped Mark with landscaping and his lawnmowing round until they sold it after building it up to 105 lawns.

They made a trip back to Norfolk in 2004 re-kindling some old friendsips and had a family trip to Fiji in 2004 

Finally, after Mark had submitted several proposals, they married on March 2, 2010, and were gifted a trip to Fiji, followed the next year by a campervan trip on the Sunshine Coast.

Despite Pam’s indifferent periods of health their trips become all the more special, knowing that there may not be many more opportunities. And there weren’t.

Never one to burden others with her problems, Pam will be remembered for her humour, sunny disposition and the many willing hours she put into so many activities in and around the community.