Pamela Jean Wageman

Pamela Jean Wageman, 73, died September 16th at her Durango home. She was born at Mercy Hospital in Durango on November 10, 1951, to Paul and Nyla Shafer.

Pam attended Utah State University for two years after graduating from Highland High School in Salt Lake City in 1970. She transferred to Fort Lewis College in 1973, where she received degrees in psychology and art.

Pam had fond memories of the summers she spent during the early 1970s with the Isgar family at their ranch near Breen, CO. She eagerly participated in the farm chores and cooking for the hay crews. It was there that she established a lifelong friendship with Joan Isgar Kellogg, who became like another sister.

On August 29, 1975, Pam married Dr. Robert Wageman, a Fort Lewis College professor. He died on September 30, 1990. Together they had three sons, Joshua Wageman of Durango; Jared Wageman of Centennial, CO; and Charles Wageman of Montrose, CO.

Pam operated her own day care for many years before becoming a teacher’s aide at Riverview Elementary School. She retired from the Durango Public School system in the fall of 2011.

Pam was known for her love of reading, art, painting, and watching classic films as well as for taking road trips around the San Juan Mountains. She was a storyteller who loved to reminisce about the past, often weaving her memories into tales for her friends and family. Though her family moved to Salt Lake City during her youth, Pam’s connection to Durango remained strong enough to bring her back later in life. She especially loved Perins Peak, which overlooks the town she always called home.

Pam’s greatest joy in her later years came from being a mother and grandmother. She took immense pride in her three sons and in welcoming their wives into the family: Jennifer (married to Josh), Laura (married to Jared), and Veronica (married to Charlie). She delighted in her five grandchildren—Gaius and Dominic of Montrose, CO, and Lillian, Sterling, and Iris of Centennial, CO—and loved watching them grow over the past twelve years.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, Pam is survived by her twin sister, Patricia Shafer of Salt Lake City; her brothers Robert Shafer of Lake Forest, CA, and Richard Shafer of Pullman, WA; as well as four nephews and one niece.

Per Pam’s wishes, she was cremated, and her ashes will be interred at Greenmount Cemetery beside her late husband, Robert Wageman. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.