Pamela Theresa Rider

I think if you were to ask anyone who knew my mom to describe her, the first thing that would happen is they would smile. You would then hear words like helpful, sweet, kind, lovely, joyful, reliable, dedicated, devoted, motivated, enthusiastic, funny, a good friend, a terrific lady and hostess, and an inspiration to everyone she meets, always working above and beyond the call of duty.

But I think the word you would hear most often is CREATIVE! An artist in every sense of the word…drawing, painting, crafting, sewing, pottery, and even teaching art…she could do it all. She participated in art shows and craft fairs, winning multiple awards and selling her creative works. She volunteered in schools and Girl Scouts, doing craft projects with kids.

When my sister and I were little, she used to sew all of our clothes, make stuffed animals for us, make our Halloween costumes, and she volunteered to make dance costumes for our dance class performances. The walls in our Michigan home were filled with her art, and the walls in the basement beautifully displayed murals she had painted. It was there that she used to hold art classes that she allowed my sister and I to participate in…we learned so very much from her.

After I had daughters of my own, she sewed many adorable outfits for them as well. She would often babysit for us, and the girls almost always came home with a craft project that they made with grandma.

Later in life, her volunteer work almost always involved her creative talents as she worked with cancer patients, victims of domestic violence, and kids with special needs. She was even commissioned to paint a storefront at Hope’s Closet, a thrift store whose proceeds benefit New Life Center, a domestic violence shelter.

And then there are the thousands upon thousands of Christmas ornaments she has made over the years…and if you knew her, you most likely have several of these! I know that my Christmas tree is loaded with them! I hope you cherish them and that these handmade gifts of the heart bring a smile to your face when you see them.

To say my mom was an overachiever is an understatement. Her list of accomplishments is long:

• Served as neighborhood chairman, organizer, consultant, P.R. person, treasurer, trainer, troop leader, council board member, and served on the Communications and Structure Task Force, winning several awards in her Girl Scout career with the Fairwinds Girl Scout Council

• Volunteer art instructor in Lake Fenton, Michigan schools, where she assisted teachers in various other tasks

• Member of the Fenton Area Chamber of Commerce, actively involved in planning festivals including the town’s 150th Anniversary Celebration

• Owned and operated the Little Redd Caboose Daycare Center in Phoenix, Arizona where staff honored her as “World’s Best Director”

• Volunteered with the Litchfield Library craft program for kids

• Volunteered with the H.O.P.E. Team at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, helping to coordinate their annual Relay for Life events and doing crafts with kids diagnosed with cancer

• Preschool Manager and often-nominated employee of the month at New Life Center, a refuge for domestic violence, where she helped coordinate their “Art from the Heart” and “Shelter Bowl” events, served as a “Santa’s Helper”, helped put together Welcome Bags for the women and children, among a host of other duties

• Volunteered at the Good Sam Rally as a Craft Instructor

• Volunteered with the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce, working in the office where needed, helping to plan and coordinate events like “The Magic is YOU” celebration, among others, and providing the artwork for the “Next 100 Years” dinner and award ceremony. She received recognition as “Member of the Month”, “Volunteer of the Month” and was lovingly nicknamed “Volunteer Extraordinaire” by her coworkers!

She regularly donated to New Life Center, St. Joseph’s Indian School, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Arizona Humane Society, ASPCA, Halo Animal Rescue, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Sierra Club, and the Fraternal Order of Police Arizona State Lodge.

Her volunteer and charity work shows that she cared so very deeply for people and animals, and those of us who were a part of her family can truly attest to that. She was always willing to lend a helping hand to those she loved. I remember once she stayed up all night with me to help me finish a school project that I had procrastinated on. And every time I had a migraine headache, she would rub my head to help me feel better. My sister recalled that when she'd stay home sick from school, that she and mom used to go through mom’s childhood photo albums together and she'd tell her about the people or events in the photos, a special bonding moment that my sister never grew tired of and that inspired her interest in genealogy. Recently, my sister and her spouse had started researching mom’s family tree, sharing each new discovery with mom…she loved it because it was like solving a mystery (and mom did love mysteries!). As a grandmother and great-grandmother, my mom proudly attended school functions and dance recitals, and always had craft supplies on hand for her grandchildren’s school or Girl Scout projects. We always used to joke that before we went to the store to buy the needed supplies, we should check with “Grandma’s Craft Store” first…the woman had EVERYTHING! As an animal lover, she delighted in the antics of the cats and dogs she’s had over the years. And finally, as a loving, devoted wife, she took on the hardest job there is…that of a full-time caregiver for my dad when he was diagnosed with dementia.

One very sad task that always accompanies the passing of a human soul is going through their personal belongings. So many smiles and memories, but also so many tears as we miss the person who has been such a huge part of our lives.

In a journal that was presented to my mom when she won the National Appreciation Award for Adult Leadership in Girl Scouts, all of the leaders and council members signed the book and wrote messages to my mom. I smiled and cried as I read all of the great things they had to say about her. I had forgotten that I too had signed the book:

To the world’s best mom who’s accomplished so much! I’m proud!!

Yes, yes I am, mom.

As I went through her craft room, seeing all of the ornaments and all of her sketches and notes, her very creative mind at work...the essence of her spirit truly lives in that room. Sometimes I would just stop and sit there in that space…in awe…and feel great admiration for her talent.

In that room, I also found some personalized tags in her sewing cabinet that read “Made with Tender Loving Care by Pam Rider”…and that, I think, completely and beautifully sums up how she lived her life.

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As her volunteer work at New Life Center was very important to her, please consider making a donation in her honor: https://app.mobilecause.com/form/voQ1ig?vid=6togg

To learn more about New Life Center: https://www.newlifectr.org/