Pamela Lynn Zybowski

Pamela Lynn Zybowski, 59, passed away at her home surrounded by her family and beloved dogs on January 11, 2025, from esophageal cancer. A lifelong resident of Erie, she graduated from St. Andrew School and Technical Memorial High School. Pam started working the third shift at Hamot Hospital in 1986 and continued working in various departments and roles until her cancer diagnosis in 2024. While at Hamot, Pam made many lifelong friends and always had interesting and sometimes icky stories that she liked to share with her extended family at the weekly family dinners. She also had a special talent for belting out the happy birthday song in her own unique key and volume.
In addition to the time she spent at work, she also enjoyed gardening and shopping at the local second hand and antique stores. A caregiver at heart, Pam surrounded herself with things to love: family, friends, pets and her many, many plants. Growing up the middle child with one older sister and three brothers, Pam was playful, slightly mischievous and hard working. As a child of the 60's/70's, she spent a lot of time playing outside with the neighborhood kids. She enjoyed summers at the peninsula with her siblings, aunts and cousins; including the large pitcher of kool-aid and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with sand, of course.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Lenora Zybowski and her sister-in-law, Jana Zybowski.
She is survived by her partner, Joe Mangiaracina, their twin sons, Mathew and Michael Mangiaracina and their two dogs Stella and Tiger. Pam left a gaping hole in the middle of her siblings: Paul Zybowski (Sue), Pat Zybowski, Andrew Zybowski, Adam Zybowski. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews, dear friends and a large extended family.
Pam was a part of so many of our favorite memories and moments in life and we are going to miss her and her loving spirit deeply.
This last year gave her a different experience of the place she spent 38 years of her life. As a patient at UPMC Cancer Center, Hamot & Passavant, she was on the receiving end of the excellent care of her colleagues and she was grateful for their skills, care and compassion, especially as she transitioned into hospice. She was also blessed to have the best supervisors during the long evening shifts.
She was very much a down to earth and no fuss person and didn't want a funeral or viewing but asked to be cremated and a memorial tree planted in her honor next to her mothers' tree in Frontier Park. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a local animal shelter in her name.