Pamela KIERSTEAD

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our sister, aunt, great-aunt and dear friend, Pamela Jane Keirstead, deceased in Toronto on April 20, 2024, at the age of 84 years. Pam was born February 16, 1940. She was a true Maritimer, born in Fredericton, a toddler in Halifax during the War and a presence on PEI from 1946 on. As a ten year old, she followed her grandfather, Christopher, around his wood working shop in Gloucester, England. She went to Rosyln and Westmont Jr. High School in Montreal where she began to excel in racket sports, which expertise she later passed on as a beloved coach. She finished high school at Oakwood Collegiate in Toronto and was a proud graduate of UNB with a degree in journalism. She taught at St. Dunstans College in Charlottetown where she was also Dean of the women's residence. She began work as a reporter in Stratford, Ontario, thinking she'd be in the land of the bard. How she loved the theatre! Like most all good Maritimers of the 1950-2000 era, she ended up working in Toronto where she joined the thousands of Easterners and immigrants who were transforming Hogtown into a great city. A city she loved. She opened a small woodworking business near Markham - practicing the art gifted to her by her grandfather all those years ago. Those same skills brought her different work again at Toronto's Northern Vocational SS as a woodworking teacher. When her strong background in English and her editorial experience became known she was pressed into service as a full-time English teacher, a position she held until she retired. In her retirement, she slipped around Toronto in her little red car, hopping merrily from play to play. Pam was joyous, possessed a keen intellect and had a strong sense of justice. Her life touched many with her impressive presence. She is survived by her brother, Clive (Glenda); sister-in law, Ruth; niece, Andrea (Les); great-niece, Natasha; and great-nephew, Alexander. She will be greatly missed.