Pam Alvord

Pam Alvord, 78, died Thursday, December 11, 2025, at home surrounded by her family after briefly living with ovarian cancer. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:00 am Friday, December 19, at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. A reception to toast Pam's exuberant personality and love of life will be held at Echo Valley Country Club the same day at 4:00.

Pam was born Friday, June 13, 1947, in Des Moines to Bob and Marge (Overturf) Burns. While many people were leery of Friday the 13th, Pam always loved her birthdate and considered it good luck.

Pam was a proud Polar Bear and graduated from North High School in 1965. In 1969 Pam graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Elementary Education.

After setting her future husband up with nearly every one of her friends, she finally began dating Gary Alvord and the two were married September 6,1969. The newlyweds enjoyed a brief honeymoon and returned home to find Gary's draft notice. The two spent the next 3 years stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, where Pam was the manager of their apartment complex. Practically penniless, the couple would spend sweltering summer days reading cards at a drug store to enjoy air conditioning. For their first anniversary, Pam set up a card table and served tuna noodle casserole on the China they received from their wedding.

Both attributed this tumultuous time where it was just the two of them as the bond that solidified their 56-year marriage. In 1972 the couple welcomed the first of 2 daughters, Jen. Following Gary's service, the young family returned to Des Moines in 1973, and welcomed their second daughter, Andi in 1975.

Both Pam and Gary considered it extremely important for one of them to remain at home to raise their family so Pam's first and most treasured career was that of mom. She took this job very seriously but never lost her sense of self while raising her 2 young daughters. She kept active with friends and never said no to a volunteer opportunity. As her girls grew, she went to work outside of the home. She spent time at the Iowa Motor Truck Association, and Terrace Hill, and eventually helped Gary with his start-up company from their basement. But the job she loved the most was working for Bidwell Riverside and the work she did for their Christmas sharing.

After Gary retired, the couple split their time between Des Moines and their beloved Anna Maria Island paradise moving there permanently in 2016. Gary and Pam returned to Des Moines in 2023 as Gary's health declined.

If you were to look up the definition of joy in the dictionary, you would most definitely find a picture of Pam and her million-dollar smile. Her smile started at her head and went straight to her toes. She was joy through and through. This joy allowed her to make friends wherever she went… not acquaintances but friends for life. Her high school friends remained steadfast and were able to spend the last weekend with Pam having a good old-fashioned slumber party. And for once, with Gary gone, they did not have to lock themselves in the bathroom when it was time to go home.

Pam unapologetically loved her life. She loved the beach, reading, playing bridge, mahjong, golf, traveling, puzzling, baking, shopping, and entertaining, but love is not a strong enough word for the way she felt for Gary. As her daughters married, she instilled in them that the most important relationship is with their spouse and to ensure that kids should never come between that relationship. She loved her daughters fiercely choosing them to help keep her at home and to enjoy life to the fullest to the very end.

The only thing Pam did not enjoy was being an only child. So as an adult she carefully curated friends who became extended family. This ensured Jen & Andi would have more aunts, uncles and cousins of whom they could ever dream.

Grammy was her favorite title and will undoubtedly be the biggest void. She would appoint boss of the day whenever we visited Florida - so each kid got a day and everyone had to do what the boss said (although Pam always maintained the ultimate veto). She made holidays magical, creating scavenger hunts, baking everyone's favorite treats… although everyone's favorite was her chocolate cinnamon cake.

Pam's faith remained steadfast until the end and she continuously thanked God for an amazing life.

Pam is survived by children: Jen (Patrick) Corkrean of Des Moines, Andi (Jamie) Laine of Norwalk; grandchildren: Kate and Erin Corkrean, Will, Max, and Lily Laine. Pam was preceded in death by her parents, and beloved husband.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Bidwell Riverside Center.

Online condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com [ilescares.com].