On September 19th, the world lost a wonderful person. Pamela Ann Retterath, 75, passed away at home in the company of her devoted husband. Pam had courageously fought ovarian cancer for the past 2 1/2 years.
Pam was born in Leominster, Massachusetts to the late Albert and Dorothy (nee Richard) Carron on October 13, 1944. Unfortunately when Pam was just nine years old, her wonderful mother passed away.
She graduated from Peterborough High School in New Hampshire in 1962 and moved to Key Largo, Florida in 1967. Pam spent the majority of her professional career selling real estate in Southern Florida, especially in Key Largo, Homestead, and the Boca Raton area.
In 1994, Pam began another chapter of her life when she met and married Ron.
Pam and Ron spent their summers for 23 years in Northern WI, the last 20 in their small cabin on a lake near Tomahawk, WI. On their way home, they stopped numerous times in Nashville to take in some country western music. For the past 25 years for her birthday, excluding the year of Katrina, they would go to Pam’s favorite city in the US – New Orleans. Although not necessarily a sports buff, Pam went to numerous Wisconsin Badger Bowl games, including 3 Rose Bowls, and also a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl game.
Pam and Ron made 29 trips overseas mainly to Europe with 4 to Asia, averaging 15–19 days each. Some countries visited outside of Europe included Russia, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand. Six of those years, they made two trips a year. Pam was a fantastic traveling companion through all of the air rides despite her fear of heights and all of the miles and miles of train rides. They planned all of their trips together and never took tours.
Pam had many interests and hobbies. She was a phenomenal gourmet cook and enjoyed creating and sharing the recipes to her fabulous, healthy foods. She was a voracious reader, flying through 2-3 books a month – every month. No one loved garage sales and flea markets as much as Pam did. To ensure she would get to as many as possible, she would leave home early in the morning with a flashlight if need be. And lest we forget her passion for Art Deco. Pam was so taken by this era that she decorated much of her home in that style.
Pam leaves behind her husband Ron Retterath of Greenville, SC; her daughter Michelle Desrosiers of Vancouver, WA; her sister Micki (husband Dave) Clew of San Luis Obispo, CA; Ron’s four children and their spouses and five grandchildren; Ron’s 7 brothers and sisters, their spouses and children; her friends at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where she has been a member for the last 12 years; her dear friends at Curves on Howell Avenue and at the Y where she went to exercise; other close friends are Dick LeTourneau (Greenville, SC), Nancy Faber (Sun Prairie, WI), Bonnie and Dennis Mealy (Wausau, WI), Sandy and Jon Figiel (Island Lake, IL), Wayne Gray (Peoria, IL), and Evelyn and Dave Esmacher (Greenville, SC).
A special thank you to Open Arms Hospice, all of their nurses and especially Nurse Dede Connolly who provided expertise, guidance, and emotional support throughout Pam’s hospice journey.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in Pam’s name at http://www.stanthonygreenvillesc.org/ Friends and family are invited to share in a celebration of Pam's life on September 29, 2020 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Palmetto Mortuary, 1017 Mauldin Road, Greenville, 29607.