Pamela Marie Turek

Pamela M. Turek was born In Los Angeles on July 9, 1943. She died in her home at the Landings in
Savannah, GA on October 22, 2023 at the age of 80. Her parents were Edward and Edith Van Tassel.
She was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1961.
In her freshman year at the University of New Mexico, she met Phil Turek, her future husband. Pam and
Phil were married in Las Vegas in 1964 and moved to Pampa, Texas. Her son Paul was born in Pampa. A
few years later, while living in New Jersey her daughter Deborah was born in New York City at Columbia
Presbyterian hospital. Phil was working in the petrochemical business and many moves followed,
mostly in Texas. After New Jersey came a move to Houston, then Corpus Christi, then Kingsville, Texas.
Next was a move back to Pampa. There Pam had a job as a substitute school teacher. She also was a
newspaper reporter and had her own gossip column. Another move took the Turek's to Dallas. Next
was Lake Charles, LA. There Pam went back to college and she almost finished her degree in fine arts at
McNeese State University in Lake Charles.
When the kids left for college the Turek's moved again to Indianapolis, IN then to liberal, KS and on to
Erie, PA. In Erie, Pam set up a business using her art skills called "PaintWorks Studio". She did
watercolor paintings, murals, stained glass and did faux finishing projects. She also served on the board
of a catholic school for wayward girls and worked with a furniture maker. Her artistic skills led her to
lead a project to expand the St. Stephens Episcopal Church at Fairview, PA where she and Phil attended.
Many of the older men thought it was too much for her but she hired a fund raiser, contracted an
architect and oversaw the construction. When it was done, it turned out very well and she got apologies
from those older men who doubted her ability. For those of you who knew Pam, this was her style and
should be no surprise to you.
Pam and her husband did a lot of traveling while in Erie. They went to Finland, Austria, the Czech
Republic, Japan, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Western Canada and Central America.
In 2001, she and Phil moved to the Landings in Savannah. She did continue her art business for a few
years. Took up golf and made many friends. Then came Parkinson's disease some 18 years ago. Pam
fought hard. She got into a group to use exercise to help with the Parkinson's. She practiced her boxing
skills. Her exercise coach got her into weight lifting and she was competing in weight lifting when she
was 75 years old. The Turek's did travel to Chile and Easter Island, Argentina, Brazil, the Alaska coast,
went to see the polar bears migrate in northern Canada.
Pam got very involved with the Night Stalkers (special forces Army helicopter unit at Hunter Army Air
Base). Mostly, she and her therapy dog Prissy would be there when the soldiers went on their missions
and be there when she returned. She became such a part of their team that they made her an Honorary
Night Stalker. She was extremely proud to be recognized for her hard work and care of the soldiers.
Pam had her own ideas about death that are mirrored in few lines of a poem:
Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free. I'm following the path Gad has laid out for me.
I took his hand when I heard him call. I turned my back and left it all.
Pam is survived by her husband of 59 years, Phil Turek, her son Paul Turek and his wife Cindy of Orlando,
FL and her daughter Deborah Michel and her husband Steve of Avon. CO,
Pam's funeral service is set for December 2 at 10 AM at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Skidaway Island,
GA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Parkinson's Foundation - 200 SE 1st Street, Suite
800-Miami, FL 33131.