Pamela Jennings

1954 - 2024

GENEVA - Pamela Wearing Jennings of 308 White Springs Road, Geneva passed away on July 30th after a two week hospital stay and privately fighting an eight month illness.

Pam was born November 28, 1954 in Springfield, Vermont and maintained her status as a proud Vermonter for the rest of her life. The daughter of Parker Wearing and Margaret "Peg" (Ruhly) Wearing/Glowa, Pam was the third of four children. She was from a long line of educators with her paternal grandfather, Dr. Thomas Wearing, being the former President of Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and her father a revered teacher and administrator in Springfield, Vt. and Montreal, Canada, where the Wearings were from. The Ruhly family, from Detroit, also had a distinguished line of school administrators.

Pam attended the University of Vermont after graduating from Springfield High School (1972) and ultimately received her undergraduate BA in English from William Smith College, summa cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, in June 1991. After substitute teaching in the Geneva and Waterloo school districts in the 1990's, she obtained her Masters Degree in Literature from Syracuse University in 2002. She was an Adjunct Professor at FLCC and later joined the English Department at Keuka College in 2003. There, in addition to teaching, she was a writing tutor in the ASK center, helping students improve their writing skills. In the classroom, she was an incredibly engaging professor, who genuinely believed in each of her students' successes and effortlessly supported them as individuals. As her student appraisals indicated, she was loved and respected as a conveyor of knowledge and a caring mentor. She had a lasting impact on many during her years as an educator.

In her personal life, Pammy had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, always wanting to know the origin or background of a word, theory, or people. She made friends easily, laughed heartily, and loved to travel, both physically and through her voracious appetite for books about history and geography. She is known by her family and friends as a powerhouse woman who was curious, kind, optimistic, and funnier than sh*t.

She married Christopher Jennings in Springfield, Vt. on August 30, 1980 and leaves behind two daughters, Ehren (David Salotti) of Philadelphia and Margaret (Zach Fischer) of Chelsea, Mich.; three lovely grandchildren, Laeta (6), Keith (4), and Ruhly (8 months); and two brothers, Tom and Peter of Southern California. She was predeceased by her father, mother, and brother, Michael.

The family would like to acknowledge and thank all of those expressing an outpouring of love, respect, and sadness over Pam's passing. Calling hours will be held on Monday (August 5) from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the DeVaney-Bennett Funeral Home, 181 N. Main St., Geneva, N.Y. A celebration of her Life will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family. Contributions can be made in Pam's honor to the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva, Geneva Community Projects, or Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association.

www.devaneybennettfh.com