Pamela WATKINS

PAMELA (BOND) WATKINS Pamela (Bond) Watkins lived an adventurous life, filled with humour, curiosity, meaningful friendships, and incredible energy. Born in Montreal in 1942, a first generation Canadian daughter of a banker from London and a Quebecer of Scottish descent, Pamela grew up between Montreal and Toronto. A talented linguist, she attended the Université Catholique de Paris, with further study in Salamanca and Grenoble, and became a simultaneous interpreter. Pamela met her late husband, Gaylord, in 1964 skiing in Obergurgl, Austria, and they married in 1967, at the Bond home in St. Sauveur, QC. Following a posting to Singapore that same year, they returned to Europe, working in Geneva, where their daughter, Anna, was born. They moved back to Canada in 1974, first to Ottawa, where their daughter, Amelia, was born a few years later, and then to Calgary, where they raised their family. Pamela ran the Nancy Greene ski program at Lake Louise for many years, and was a docent at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, where she fostered friendships that she kept for life. In 1992, Pamela and Gaylord moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where Pam became an active member of the Indonesian Heritage Society, sharing in her passion for textiles and Chinese porcelain with fellow enthusiasts. A fearless explorer, her interest took her to kiln sights in far flung regions, and she contributed to museum guides and penned artifact descriptions for works unearthed on those trips. Pam returned to Montreal after Gaylord suddenly passed at their home in Singapore in 2015. Pamela and Gaylord kept a close circle of friends from multiple generations wherever they lived. Their home was a revolving door with excellent conversation, stories, laughter, music, and delicious feasts, with Pam at the helm in the kitchen. She was a mother to many. Pamela was known for her quick wit, her brilliant sense of humor, and her insatiable curiosity for art, history and travel. She was an accomplished skier, avid gardener, artist, and an incredible cook. She suffered from vascular Parkinson's disease, and even through multiple setbacks, never complained and enjoyed every last detail of conversation and meals. Pam died peacefully surrounded by family and close friends on December 29, 2022, in St. Sauveur, where the family maintains a home. She is survived by her daughters, Anna (Ron Porter) and Amelia (Eoin Russell); grandchildren, Lilliana and Larsen Porter; and sisters-in-law, Joanne Bond, Jennifer Watkins, and Cathryn Miller (David Miller). Donations in both Pamela and Gaylord's memory may be made to the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund: https://www.leaf.ca/donate.