Pamela A. Shick

Pamela A Shick, Princess of Lukin, sister, wife, Mom, and MaMa left her home for the last time on Sunday December 11, 2022, surrounded by her daughters and devoted husband, John.

Mom was a professional homebody, lover of days at the pool, mushroom hunting, gardening, baking, and cherry machines. She seldom passed up a garage sale and filled her home with her favorite bargains and treasure.

Mom was an introvert to the core. She did not light up a room when she entered and preferred to tuck herself into a dim corner, while hoping no one approached. She was modest, sincere, and quiet, unlike her girls and “Boo” who handled awkward situations with inappropriate humor, which often caused her to roll her eyes and nervously giggle. After some liquid courage, you would often find her dancing to Mustang Sally with her girls and small “village” of people.

A simple woman, mom enjoyed the small things in life and always chose quality over quantity. She found joy in an ugly quilt and a hot cup of coffee, watching Gunsmoke with Dad, snuggles with her dog, Bell and three-legged cat, Gimpey, and freshly washed and line dried sheets.

Mom had her own way of making us laugh. A graceful lady, she was not, and tripping over her own two feet was not uncommon. Her comebacks to our jokes were always delayed. Some of her finest moments include: forgetting to take the plastic wrapper off the cheese when making Dad’s sandwich for his lunch box, unknowingly leaving her car running for hours after unloading groceries, or waking up with a Chiquita banana sticker on her forehead after a late night.

Her parents, Ralph, a descendent of the Greek God Zeus, and Nancy, a mother truly like no other, have always known how special their Pammy was.

Mom has three brothers, Bud and Steve; who think they are funnier than they really are, and Dave who has a pony tail and drives a mustang. Mom cherished her little sister Chris, her pocket knife packing BFF, who always kept things exciting. She loved getting together with Bud, Steve, and Chris. Bud’s sarcasm and bad jokes, Steve’s stories of his travel adventures and signature giggle, and Chris’ glitter and grit personality put the fun in dysfunctional and created everlasting memories.

Mom and Dad were happily married for 45 years, and more blissfully married once all four birds flew the coop. She was a loving, patient, and loyal wife to Dad and took pride in taking care of him. She held traditional values of marriage even during difficult times. Their love and marriage was something special that only they understood. That extraordinary devotion became visible to others when Dad “raced” to her side at 90mph, with hands clinched on the wheel, swatting bees, while remaining focused, calm, and gentle as things spun out of control. He never took his eyes off his trophy.

Mom took great pride in being a mother to us girls. She was a master of stretching every dollar and knew that creating a home and solid family unit was far more important than money or material things. She raised us to be independent, loving women, while attempting to teach us patience and the art of being silent. Johnie, however, is the only one who learned and practices ALL of mom’s teachings. As for the rest of us, mom found herself with an arm around our shoulders and a hand over our mouths.

Mom loved her grandkids beyond measure. While we, her daughters, committed unspeakable crimes, such as coloring our hair purple, having tattoos, leaving the house daily, and driving after dark, her grandkids could do no wrong. The days of Save-A-Lot “pop tarts” and generic peanut butter were long gone and the grandkids gorged themselves on sugary treats, Prairie Farms chocolate milk, and her famous tasty bread when hanging with their MaMa.

Her first experience with loud, mischievous, sweaty boys started with Jacob and Garrett. Her bond with “the bubbies” went beyond a traditional grandma relationship. They instantly became the sons she needed. Her love for them was unmatched and her other grandkids (Liv, Quincy, Wylde, Jaxin, Perrin, Bennett, and Calvin) will be eternally jealous. Her role as MaMa continues as she snuggles and spoils her first born granddaughter, Josie.

Mom loved her sons-in-law, past and present.

Bryan “Big Sis”- who is finer than a frog hair split four ways, earned his spot by loving Kristy like Rip loves Beth.

Nathan- who had long hair, tattoos, earrings, and eyeliner became a wonderful man, husband to Sam and father, earning his special place in mom’s heart. (Even though she hid her purse the first time they met.)

And Mickelle, a nerdy, God loving, inside reader boy with a big heart whose immediate love for Johnie and Jaxin (along with a healthy fear of Dad), helped earn his place.

She was a poster child for bravery and toughness. She was not only tolerant of physical pain, but endured and overcame many hard losses in life. We always believed our strength came solely from dad, but over the last six months, we were shown differently time and time again through mom’s unwillingness to quit.

To everyone who has visited, prayed, and continues to support us, we love and appreciate you so much. We want to specifically thank the Lawrence County Cancer Resource Center & Wig Shoppe and Mom’s Hospice nurses, Ashton, Judy, and Sarah, as well as all of the other nurses and doctors who provided great care and compassion to mom and have supported our family.

Writing this was a daunting effort. How do you summarize a person, a lifetime, a family into a paragraph, a sentence, a word. A lifetime, millions of memories, and stories to tell shouldn’t be expressed with ink, but with hugs and laughs and tears. Mom was a kind soul guided by unwavering morals. A big heart, full of love and pride for loved ones, and an intuition to help anyone in need. A beautiful mind that contained inspiration, thoughtfulness, dreams, and fears. Our Mom wasn’t just a person, she was a feeling of comfort and peace, an expression of joy and gratefulness, and an irreplaceable foundation of acceptance, loyalty, and devotion.

Honoring moms wishes, no traditional services will be conducted. We will be gathering at mom’s favorite watering hole, Hollywood’s Rondavu, located at 1400 Fairview Road in St. Francisville, Illinois on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 3:00 PM CST to share memories. Kids are allowed until 8pm.

#OLO #tuffshick

Memorial donations may be made to the Lawrence County Cancer Resource Center & Wig Shoppe or Good Samaritan Hospice.

Sivert-Macey & Steffey Funeral Home in Sumner, Illinois is in charge of the arrangements.

Good Samaritan Hospice
601 S. 9th St., Vincennes IN 47591

Lawrence County Cancer Resource Center & Wig Shoppe
Lawrenceville IL 62439