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Letter: Burnaby needs more citizens like ‘Little Pam’

Editor: I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Pam Gardner. Pam was certainly a "one of a kind" and passionate about everything that she did.
pam gardner burnaby christy clark
Pam Gardner was born and raised in Burnaby. Screenshot/Facebook

Editor:

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Pam Gardner. Pam was certainly a "one of a kind" and passionate about everything that she did.
Although it wasn't until later in her life that I really got to know Pam, my first connection with her was when she would accompany her dad, Jim, to local ice rinks as he was scouting for junior hockey.

As Pam was under 10 years of age at this time, she became known to us hockey folks as "little Pam" and she seemed to be at her dad's side everywhere.

As Pam got older, and became a "force to reckon with" in local business and politics, we would often run into each other at community events and have a laugh about the "good ol' days" of hockey and of the glory days of her Detroit Red Wings.

It was so ironic that her and her dad's long-time friend, Ken Holland, former 22-year general manager of the Detroit Red Wings and current general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, was selected as an inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame on the same day that Pam left us.

Hopefully, she knew and would have been so pleased. When her dad passed away on Dec. 30, 2019, I know that Pam lost her biggest fan and best hockey buddy.
Even though we ended up on mostly opposite ends of the political scale, that never got in the way of having good conversation, both agreeing and disagreeing on many aspects of provincial and civic politics and lamenting about how polarized politics, for many, often got in the way of being respectful and kind to one another and in creating good, healthy friendships, despite some strong philosophical differences.
We need many more like Pam Gardner in our community - dedicated to a cause, amazing work ethic, liking people for their sincerity and able to laugh at the big and little things that life had to offer.

Rest in Peace, "Little Pam."

Larry Hayes, Burnaby