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Pamela Pelletreau Obituary
3/2/1939 - 2/7/2025
Pamela Day Pelletreau died peacefully with family at her bedside on February 7, 2025. She was 85 years old. Committed to justice, democracy, and peace, Pam was a passionate advocate for human rights, globalism, and equality.
Pam was born March 2, 1939, in Hartford, Connecticut, the eldest of four children to Katherine Long Day and Pomeroy Day. Growing up, her family spent summers in Woods Hole, often at The Larches on Nobska Point. Pam's first paid job was at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution sifting sediment. In 2012, she and her husband Robert Pelletreau moved year-round to the house they had built on The Larches.
Pam and Bob were married in 1966, celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary last December. Together, they represented the United States of America abroad for over 30 years with posts in Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Egypt. As a diplomat's wife and partner, Pam's intelligence and skills were invaluable. She was welcoming, considerate, astute, and diplomatic, a true peacemaker.
A deeply curious lifelong learner, Pam challenged herself, engaging with the most difficult and complex issues, and finding meaningful connection with people of different cultures and beliefs. Her formal education included a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960, a masters' degree from Columbia University in 1962, and a PhD in Political Science from George Washington University in 1987.
Pam demonstrated her commitment to equality, justice, and democracy in many ways. She taught at universities in Nigeria, Egypt, and Tunisia, as well as The Center for Global Peace at American University in Washington DC. She organized panels on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and the International Criminal Court, worked with USAID to promote democracy and good governance, served as an election observer in Yemen and Moldova, and, with Bob, co-directed the NGO Search for Common Ground in Jerusalem.
With deep convictions and fierce independence, Pam had high expectations for herself and others. She was an avowed feminist persistently determined to improve the lives of women and girls. Pam led with these values in her own family, teaching her daughters the importance of being able to support themselves and their children, urging them to academic and professional achievement, and advocating for recognition of the vital (often unpaid) contributions of diplomatic spouses. She resolutely championed organizations like the Global Fund for Women,
United Nations Family Planning Association, and Planned Parenthood both financially and as a volunteer. Helping refugee women and children was especially important to Pam, and she publicized and raised funds for Syrian refugees as their country came apart due to civil war and millions fled.
A gifted conversationalist with a whimsical sense of humor, Pam was a terrific host from official dinners to family gatherings. She loved nature, flowers from around the world, particularly dahlias, and the unique lichens and moss which Pam collected on daily walks around her Woods Hole home. An intrepid explorer and traveler, she appreciated arts of all kinds: music, theatre, dance, museums of every sort, architecture, historical sites, churches, and ancient ruins. Until dementia closed in, Pam was always up for an expedition whether a walk around The Point, attending the Boston Symphony, or travelling to Lesotho and South Africa to visit family. Whatever the adventure, she was game.
Pam was predeceased by her sister Betsy Day Bolton. She is survived by her husband, Robert of Woods Hole; daughter Katherine, of Cumberland ME and her children Kaitlin and Nick; daughter Erica and wife Carlie Steen of Brooklyn, NY, and their children Evelyn and Clive; and daughter Elizabeth and husband Adam Butler of Arlington, VA, and their children Sophia and Cameron. Also surviving are her brothers Roger and his wife Judith, and George and his wife Jan, and many cherished nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole followed by interment and a reception in the Woods Hole Room. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Global Fund for Women, Attn: Contributions Office, P.O. Box 97309, Washington, DC 20090-7309.
Pamela Day Pelletreau died peacefully with family at her bedside on February 7, 2025. She was 85 years old. Committed to justice, democracy, and peace, Pam was a passionate advocate for human rights, globalism, and equality.
Pam was born March 2, 1939, in Hartford, Connecticut, the eldest of four children to Katherine Long Day and Pomeroy Day. Growing up, her family spent summers in Woods Hole, often at The Larches on Nobska Point. Pam's first paid job was at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution sifting sediment. In 2012, she and her husband Robert Pelletreau moved year-round to the house they had built on The Larches.
Pam and Bob were married in 1966, celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary last December. Together, they represented the United States of America abroad for over 30 years with posts in Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Egypt. As a diplomat's wife and partner, Pam's intelligence and skills were invaluable. She was welcoming, considerate, astute, and diplomatic, a true peacemaker.
A deeply curious lifelong learner, Pam challenged herself, engaging with the most difficult and complex issues, and finding meaningful connection with people of different cultures and beliefs. Her formal education included a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960, a masters' degree from Columbia University in 1962, and a PhD in Political Science from George Washington University in 1987.
Pam demonstrated her commitment to equality, justice, and democracy in many ways. She taught at universities in Nigeria, Egypt, and Tunisia, as well as The Center for Global Peace at American University in Washington DC. She organized panels on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and the International Criminal Court, worked with USAID to promote democracy and good governance, served as an election observer in Yemen and Moldova, and, with Bob, co-directed the NGO Search for Common Ground in Jerusalem.
With deep convictions and fierce independence, Pam had high expectations for herself and others. She was an avowed feminist persistently determined to improve the lives of women and girls. Pam led with these values in her own family, teaching her daughters the importance of being able to support themselves and their children, urging them to academic and professional achievement, and advocating for recognition of the vital (often unpaid) contributions of diplomatic spouses. She resolutely championed organizations like the Global Fund for Women,
United Nations Family Planning Association, and Planned Parenthood both financially and as a volunteer. Helping refugee women and children was especially important to Pam, and she publicized and raised funds for Syrian refugees as their country came apart due to civil war and millions fled.
A gifted conversationalist with a whimsical sense of humor, Pam was a terrific host from official dinners to family gatherings. She loved nature, flowers from around the world, particularly dahlias, and the unique lichens and moss which Pam collected on daily walks around her Woods Hole home. An intrepid explorer and traveler, she appreciated arts of all kinds: music, theatre, dance, museums of every sort, architecture, historical sites, churches, and ancient ruins. Until dementia closed in, Pam was always up for an expedition whether a walk around The Point, attending the Boston Symphony, or travelling to Lesotho and South Africa to visit family. Whatever the adventure, she was game.
Pam was predeceased by her sister Betsy Day Bolton. She is survived by her husband, Robert of Woods Hole; daughter Katherine, of Cumberland ME and her children Kaitlin and Nick; daughter Erica and wife Carlie Steen of Brooklyn, NY, and their children Evelyn and Clive; and daughter Elizabeth and husband Adam Butler of Arlington, VA, and their children Sophia and Cameron. Also surviving are her brothers Roger and his wife Judith, and George and his wife Jan, and many cherished nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole followed by interment and a reception in the Woods Hole Room. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Global Fund for Women, Attn: Contributions Office, P.O. Box 97309, Washington, DC 20090-7309.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by The Washington Post on Feb. 23, 2025.
Memories and Condolences
for Pamela Pelletreau
1 Entry
Carol Ross
March 5, 2025
My sincere condolences to the family for the loss of such an extraordinary person.
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