Pamela Margaret Mowbray (formerly Thomas, née Lynch) born in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 1, 1932, passed away peacefully in Port Moody on Mar. 1, 2010. Predeceased in 2002 by her husband and best friend for almost 50 years, Steve Thomas. Dearly loved and survived by her second husband Wilf Mowbray; her four beloved children Sandra Sellick, Stephen Thomas, Colleen Mudry-Ross, and Carolyn Bond; and their spouses Roger, Lydia, Hal, and Russell. Pam was the proud nana of five grandchildren: Steven, Erin, Natasha, Genevieve, and Stephenie. She enjoyed a close relationship with her niece, Linda. She is also survived by Wilf’s children, Susan and Chris.
From 1951 to 1953, Pam worked for the Treasury Department of the Fijian government in Suva. She arrived in Vancouver aboard the “SS Orsova” in 1955 and started work in the Marine Building. She married Steve in 1956 and together they raised their four children. In the early 1980s, Pam returned to school and went on to work in the administration office at Brentwood Mall and later for the Burnaby Public Library.
Residents of Burnaby for over 30 years, Pam and Steve retired to Salt Spring Island in 1992 where they built their dream home on Beddis Road and enjoyed the company of their island friends. They were lifetime members of the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club and Pam was a volunteer at Greenwoods. After Steve’s passing, Pam lived in Coquitlam until her marriage to Wilf in 2008. Pam and Wilf lived on the quay in New Westminster overlooking the passing scene on the Fraser River. Always an ardent sports fan, Pam followed the BC Lions, the Vancouver Canucks, and her favourite tennis players. She was a passionate animal lover with a soft spot for elephants, cats, and bears. Pam was a long-time member of the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, an avid reader, and an ace Scrabble player. Beautiful music and flowers added much pleasure to her life. In 2007 she co-authored a memoir, “Remembering a Kensington Childhood”. Pam will be forever loved and missed.
The family would like to express much gratitude to Pam’s physicians and to the staff and volunteers at the Crossroads Hospice in Port Moody. At Pam’s request, there will be no service. Friends wishing to remember Pam with a gesture of kindness may consider a donation to the Crossroads Hospice Society.