I meet this girl who was walking toward me at the Veterans Service Organization in Long Beach. She was a gorgeous blond with playful eyes and a mischievous smile. I turned around to see behind me where she was going and when I turned back there she was in front of me. (thump thump) She said to me, "My friends and I are going to lunch, would you like to come with us?" (thump thump) I closed my mouth and said, sure. She said, "Follow me" (thump thump) We walked though the crowd to her friends car where she sat in the front passenger seat and she told me to get in the back seat behind her. As we were heading to the dinner, she put her arm over the seat and turned half around to talk and said her name was Pam and the girl next to me in the back seat was Sandy. I said my name was Bill. It soon became apparent that Pam wanted me to pair up with her friend Sandy and the guy driving was her date. Pam's hand was still dangling over the car seat in front of me so I bit it.
Pam no longer just though of me as one of a thousand sailors roaming the streets downtown but rather saw me as a person. I realized I had fallen in love at first site with her. Why would I bit her hand? (thump thump)
The following weeks and months, were a challenge to make her love me too. I did not get off to a good start and she already had a boy friend. She was fascinating, lovely, fun. I could not give up.
Finally she agreed to go out with me. We double dated with some of her friends and Pam was telling every Polish joke her friend Ielona had taught her and she finish by saying, "I'm sure glad no one here is Polish." I said, "I am." She apologized and made me forgive her. Got her. (thump thump)
We dated every chance we had after that. The Navy had other ideas and didn't care. Pam, being playful, got me in so much trouble that when the Navy restricted me to the ship, she would bring me dinner on the ship wearing a short skirt, climbing the ladders to the signal bridge. They all knew her by name and I'd have to remind them all,"SHE'S MINE." She would reply, "Only if you can keep me."
We were broke all the time so we would go to the blood bank and sold our blood to get money to go to Denney's where we would get, "One hamburger combo with a coke and two straws." We would walk the beach, or go to the Pike. Ports – o- Call was a favorite spot.
One night in Ports –o- Call at the Yankee Whaler we were sitting in the patio with a warm fire in the fire pit, watching the ships coming and going, I said to her, "Will you marry me?" And she said yes. She said yes and everyone applauded. (thump thump)
The next day we went on the Naval Base and got our blood tests to get married. When I had taken her home, her mother saw the bandages and said, "If you two are going to get married, I want to be there," We gave them all a weeks notice. Pam and I went to see the Base Chaplin and the priest told Pam NO that she had to go through the marriage bands. NO is not a word Pam understands and told him, " Fine. Bill is Catholic and wanted to get married in the church but if we can't do that then we are going to Vegas. We are getting married. The priest just looked at her and said he would do it. My God, I love her. (thump thump)
Married in the church on the Naval Base, reception at Ports -O- Call and the priest said it would never last, that was 49 years ago. I didn't deserve her; she was a gift.
In the years that followed, there was never a person who was down and out on a freeway ramp, in a grocery parking lot that asked for money that left empty handed. Every charity, church bazaar or child selling candy would not walk away without something given or bought.
We had a neighbor who couldn't pay their rent and Pam would turn to me and ask, can we help? And we paid their rent.
Every day was a celebration somewhere for Pam, you just had to find it. A birthday, holiday, anniversary, her favorite was Christmas. She was happiest when singing.
She loved watching people eat her dinners and over the years she had found fantastic recipes to try on family and friends.
Pam's greatest treasure was her family. She couldn't do enough for them. Every store she entered was a quest for something she could buy to make a member of her family happy. She planed trips and outings that would bring the family together.
Eveyone she meet has a version of this story of party, dinners, singing and love.
One more story, I promise.
One of Pam favorite stories is the one about one of Tony's birthday partys. We asked the parents to bring the children to our home and we would go to the party in the motor home and bring the children home when it got dark. We loaded the children up, counted heads and started to the park. Pam would lead the boys and girls in singing songs, " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." At the park there was singing, candy, cake, ice cream, piñata's and games. When it started to get dark no one wanted to leave. We counted heads as we herded them back into the motor home for the trip home. The children would sing and play on the way "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall one hundred bottles of beer," (the kids loved that one,) and tell us where they lived. When we dropped a child off, the parents would come out and the remaining children would wave and sing the auf Wiedersehen song that Pam taught them. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" and the parents would wave back. When we pulled up to one house there were police and a lot of people there. One of the boys had crashed our party and the parents were frantic and the policed were searching for him. When the errant boy stepped out of the motor home, everyone descended on us as we tried to explain how this could have happened. The police finally left and the boy was being led home when he suddenly stopped and turned and said, "Aren't you going to sing goodbye?" Pam said, "taKurt, kaTony, Biiiilllll and we all sang, "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" to the boy. Pam had managed to wipe the stern look off the parents faces and they waved back.
Now my darling Pammy it's your turn for us all to say goodbye. You must go home to be with Jesus. Everyone stand up now and help me out. Lets all sing loudly. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye. Wave everybody!
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And a voice came from heaven, "Biiiiilllll, there will be no more thumping.
Pam no longer just though of me as one of a thousand sailors roaming the streets downtown but rather saw me as a person. I realized I had fallen in love at first site with her. Why would I bit her hand? (thump thump)
The following weeks and months, were a challenge to make her love me too. I did not get off to a good start and she already had a boy friend. She was fascinating, lovely, fun. I could not give up.
Finally she agreed to go out with me. We double dated with some of her friends and Pam was telling every Polish joke her friend Ielona had taught her and she finish by saying, "I'm sure glad no one here is Polish." I said, "I am." She apologized and made me forgive her. Got her. (thump thump)
We dated every chance we had after that. The Navy had other ideas and didn't care. Pam, being playful, got me in so much trouble that when the Navy restricted me to the ship, she would bring me dinner on the ship wearing a short skirt, climbing the ladders to the signal bridge. They all knew her by name and I'd have to remind them all,"SHE'S MINE." She would reply, "Only if you can keep me."
We were broke all the time so we would go to the blood bank and sold our blood to get money to go to Denney's where we would get, "One hamburger combo with a coke and two straws." We would walk the beach, or go to the Pike. Ports – o- Call was a favorite spot.
One night in Ports –o- Call at the Yankee Whaler we were sitting in the patio with a warm fire in the fire pit, watching the ships coming and going, I said to her, "Will you marry me?" And she said yes. She said yes and everyone applauded. (thump thump)
The next day we went on the Naval Base and got our blood tests to get married. When I had taken her home, her mother saw the bandages and said, "If you two are going to get married, I want to be there," We gave them all a weeks notice. Pam and I went to see the Base Chaplin and the priest told Pam NO that she had to go through the marriage bands. NO is not a word Pam understands and told him, " Fine. Bill is Catholic and wanted to get married in the church but if we can't do that then we are going to Vegas. We are getting married. The priest just looked at her and said he would do it. My God, I love her. (thump thump)
Married in the church on the Naval Base, reception at Ports -O- Call and the priest said it would never last, that was 49 years ago. I didn't deserve her; she was a gift.
In the years that followed, there was never a person who was down and out on a freeway ramp, in a grocery parking lot that asked for money that left empty handed. Every charity, church bazaar or child selling candy would not walk away without something given or bought.
We had a neighbor who couldn't pay their rent and Pam would turn to me and ask, can we help? And we paid their rent.
Every day was a celebration somewhere for Pam, you just had to find it. A birthday, holiday, anniversary, her favorite was Christmas. She was happiest when singing.
She loved watching people eat her dinners and over the years she had found fantastic recipes to try on family and friends.
Pam's greatest treasure was her family. She couldn't do enough for them. Every store she entered was a quest for something she could buy to make a member of her family happy. She planed trips and outings that would bring the family together.
Eveyone she meet has a version of this story of party, dinners, singing and love.
One more story, I promise.
One of Pam favorite stories is the one about one of Tony's birthday partys. We asked the parents to bring the children to our home and we would go to the party in the motor home and bring the children home when it got dark. We loaded the children up, counted heads and started to the park. Pam would lead the boys and girls in singing songs, " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." At the park there was singing, candy, cake, ice cream, piñata's and games. When it started to get dark no one wanted to leave. We counted heads as we herded them back into the motor home for the trip home. The children would sing and play on the way "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall one hundred bottles of beer," (the kids loved that one,) and tell us where they lived. When we dropped a child off, the parents would come out and the remaining children would wave and sing the auf Wiedersehen song that Pam taught them. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" and the parents would wave back. When we pulled up to one house there were police and a lot of people there. One of the boys had crashed our party and the parents were frantic and the policed were searching for him. When the errant boy stepped out of the motor home, everyone descended on us as we tried to explain how this could have happened. The police finally left and the boy was being led home when he suddenly stopped and turned and said, "Aren't you going to sing goodbye?" Pam said, "taKurt, kaTony, Biiiilllll and we all sang, "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" to the boy. Pam had managed to wipe the stern look off the parents faces and they waved back.
Now my darling Pammy it's your turn for us all to say goodbye. You must go home to be with Jesus. Everyone stand up now and help me out. Lets all sing loudly. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye. Wave everybody!
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And a voice came from heaven, "Biiiiilllll, there will be no more thumping.
I meet this girl who was walking toward me at the Veterans Service Organization in Long Beach. She was a gorgeous blond with playful eyes and a mischievous smile. I turned around to see behind me where she was going and when I turned back there she was in front of me. (thump thump) She said to me, "My friends and I are going to lunch, would you like to come with us?" (thump thump) I closed my mouth and said, sure. She said, "Follow me" (thump thump) We walked though the crowd to her friends car where she sat in the front passenger seat and she told me to get in the back seat behind her. As we were heading to the dinner, she put her arm over the seat and turned half around to talk and said her name was Pam and the girl next to me in the back seat was Sandy. I said my name was Bill. It soon became apparent that Pam wanted me to pair up with her friend Sandy and the guy driving was her date. Pam's hand was still dangling over the car seat in front of me so I bit it.
Pam no longer just though of me as one of a thousand sailors roaming the streets downtown but rather saw me as a person. I realized I had fallen in love at first site with her. Why would I bit her hand? (thump thump)
The following weeks and months, were a challenge to make her love me too. I did not get off to a good start and she already had a boy friend. She was fascinating, lovely, fun. I could not give up.
Finally she agreed to go out with me. We double dated with some of her friends and Pam was telling every Polish joke her friend Ielona had taught her and she finish by saying, "I'm sure glad no one here is Polish." I said, "I am." She apologized and made me forgive her. Got her. (thump thump)
We dated every chance we had after that. The Navy had other ideas and didn't care. Pam, being playful, got me in so much trouble that when the Navy restricted me to the ship, she would bring me dinner on the ship wearing a short skirt, climbing the ladders to the signal bridge. They all knew her by name and I'd have to remind them all,"SHE'S MINE." She would reply, "Only if you can keep me."
We were broke all the time so we would go to the blood bank and sold our blood to get money to go to Denney's where we would get, "One hamburger combo with a coke and two straws." We would walk the beach, or go to the Pike. Ports – o- Call was a favorite spot.
One night in Ports –o- Call at the Yankee Whaler we were sitting in the patio with a warm fire in the fire pit, watching the ships coming and going, I said to her, "Will you marry me?" And she said yes. She said yes and everyone applauded. (thump thump)
The next day we went on the Naval Base and got our blood tests to get married. When I had taken her home, her mother saw the bandages and said, "If you two are going to get married, I want to be there," We gave them all a weeks notice. Pam and I went to see the Base Chaplin and the priest told Pam NO that she had to go through the marriage bands. NO is not a word Pam understands and told him, " Fine. Bill is Catholic and wanted to get married in the church but if we can't do that then we are going to Vegas. We are getting married. The priest just looked at her and said he would do it. My God, I love her. (thump thump)
Married in the church on the Naval Base, reception at Ports -O- Call and the priest said it would never last, that was 49 years ago. I didn't deserve her; she was a gift.
In the years that followed, there was never a person who was down and out on a freeway ramp, in a grocery parking lot that asked for money that left empty handed. Every charity, church bazaar or child selling candy would not walk away without something given or bought.
We had a neighbor who couldn't pay their rent and Pam would turn to me and ask, can we help? And we paid their rent.
Every day was a celebration somewhere for Pam, you just had to find it. A birthday, holiday, anniversary, her favorite was Christmas. She was happiest when singing.
She loved watching people eat her dinners and over the years she had found fantastic recipes to try on family and friends.
Pam's greatest treasure was her family. She couldn't do enough for them. Every store she entered was a quest for something she could buy to make a member of her family happy. She planed trips and outings that would bring the family together.
Eveyone she meet has a version of this story of party, dinners, singing and love.
One more story, I promise.
One of Pam favorite stories is the one about one of Tony's birthday partys. We asked the parents to bring the children to our home and we would go to the party in the motor home and bring the children home when it got dark. We loaded the children up, counted heads and started to the park. Pam would lead the boys and girls in singing songs, " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." At the park there was singing, candy, cake, ice cream, piñata's and games. When it started to get dark no one wanted to leave. We counted heads as we herded them back into the motor home for the trip home. The children would sing and play on the way "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall one hundred bottles of beer," (the kids loved that one,) and tell us where they lived. When we dropped a child off, the parents would come out and the remaining children would wave and sing the auf Wiedersehen song that Pam taught them. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" and the parents would wave back. When we pulled up to one house there were police and a lot of people there. One of the boys had crashed our party and the parents were frantic and the policed were searching for him. When the errant boy stepped out of the motor home, everyone descended on us as we tried to explain how this could have happened. The police finally left and the boy was being led home when he suddenly stopped and turned and said, "Aren't you going to sing goodbye?" Pam said, "taKurt, kaTony, Biiiilllll and we all sang, "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" to the boy. Pam had managed to wipe the stern look off the parents faces and they waved back.
Now my darling Pammy it's your turn for us all to say goodbye. You must go home to be with Jesus. Everyone stand up now and help me out. Lets all sing loudly. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye. Wave everybody!
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And a voice came from heaven, "Biiiiilllll, there will be no more thumping.
Pam no longer just though of me as one of a thousand sailors roaming the streets downtown but rather saw me as a person. I realized I had fallen in love at first site with her. Why would I bit her hand? (thump thump)
The following weeks and months, were a challenge to make her love me too. I did not get off to a good start and she already had a boy friend. She was fascinating, lovely, fun. I could not give up.
Finally she agreed to go out with me. We double dated with some of her friends and Pam was telling every Polish joke her friend Ielona had taught her and she finish by saying, "I'm sure glad no one here is Polish." I said, "I am." She apologized and made me forgive her. Got her. (thump thump)
We dated every chance we had after that. The Navy had other ideas and didn't care. Pam, being playful, got me in so much trouble that when the Navy restricted me to the ship, she would bring me dinner on the ship wearing a short skirt, climbing the ladders to the signal bridge. They all knew her by name and I'd have to remind them all,"SHE'S MINE." She would reply, "Only if you can keep me."
We were broke all the time so we would go to the blood bank and sold our blood to get money to go to Denney's where we would get, "One hamburger combo with a coke and two straws." We would walk the beach, or go to the Pike. Ports – o- Call was a favorite spot.
One night in Ports –o- Call at the Yankee Whaler we were sitting in the patio with a warm fire in the fire pit, watching the ships coming and going, I said to her, "Will you marry me?" And she said yes. She said yes and everyone applauded. (thump thump)
The next day we went on the Naval Base and got our blood tests to get married. When I had taken her home, her mother saw the bandages and said, "If you two are going to get married, I want to be there," We gave them all a weeks notice. Pam and I went to see the Base Chaplin and the priest told Pam NO that she had to go through the marriage bands. NO is not a word Pam understands and told him, " Fine. Bill is Catholic and wanted to get married in the church but if we can't do that then we are going to Vegas. We are getting married. The priest just looked at her and said he would do it. My God, I love her. (thump thump)
Married in the church on the Naval Base, reception at Ports -O- Call and the priest said it would never last, that was 49 years ago. I didn't deserve her; she was a gift.
In the years that followed, there was never a person who was down and out on a freeway ramp, in a grocery parking lot that asked for money that left empty handed. Every charity, church bazaar or child selling candy would not walk away without something given or bought.
We had a neighbor who couldn't pay their rent and Pam would turn to me and ask, can we help? And we paid their rent.
Every day was a celebration somewhere for Pam, you just had to find it. A birthday, holiday, anniversary, her favorite was Christmas. She was happiest when singing.
She loved watching people eat her dinners and over the years she had found fantastic recipes to try on family and friends.
Pam's greatest treasure was her family. She couldn't do enough for them. Every store she entered was a quest for something she could buy to make a member of her family happy. She planed trips and outings that would bring the family together.
Eveyone she meet has a version of this story of party, dinners, singing and love.
One more story, I promise.
One of Pam favorite stories is the one about one of Tony's birthday partys. We asked the parents to bring the children to our home and we would go to the party in the motor home and bring the children home when it got dark. We loaded the children up, counted heads and started to the park. Pam would lead the boys and girls in singing songs, " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." At the park there was singing, candy, cake, ice cream, piñata's and games. When it started to get dark no one wanted to leave. We counted heads as we herded them back into the motor home for the trip home. The children would sing and play on the way "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall one hundred bottles of beer," (the kids loved that one,) and tell us where they lived. When we dropped a child off, the parents would come out and the remaining children would wave and sing the auf Wiedersehen song that Pam taught them. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" and the parents would wave back. When we pulled up to one house there were police and a lot of people there. One of the boys had crashed our party and the parents were frantic and the policed were searching for him. When the errant boy stepped out of the motor home, everyone descended on us as we tried to explain how this could have happened. The police finally left and the boy was being led home when he suddenly stopped and turned and said, "Aren't you going to sing goodbye?" Pam said, "taKurt, kaTony, Biiiilllll and we all sang, "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" to the boy. Pam had managed to wipe the stern look off the parents faces and they waved back.
Now my darling Pammy it's your turn for us all to say goodbye. You must go home to be with Jesus. Everyone stand up now and help me out. Lets all sing loudly. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye. Wave everybody!
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And a voice came from heaven, "Biiiiilllll, there will be no more thumping.
Inscription
FOREVER LOVED
Gravesite Details
Section 53B, Site 2374, Park on Meuse-Argonne Ave just east of Pearl Harbor Dr. at the creek near the 15MPH sign. Walk on West side of creek on the gravel to the bench. Turn left (West) up the utility easement to 2374 on left.
