Pamela Allen (née Wolter), 63, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Vancouver, Washington after a battle with endometrial cancer. Pamela was born in Longview, Washington but the family moved to Vancouver during elementary school and Pamela considered Vancouver her hometown.

Pamela was predeceased by her mother, Mae "Mazie" Wolter in 1996 and her father, William "Bill" Wolter in 2005.

Pamela is survived by her husband, Emerson Allen, Jr. of Victoria, Texas; children William Wolter (Iralyn) of Vallejo, California, Jesse Allen of Portland, Oregon and Michael Allen of Victoria, Texas; siblings Steve Wolter of Lugoff, South Carolina, William Wolter of Vancouver, Washington, Angela Wells (Randy) of Vancouver, Washington, Dennis Wolter of Shelton, Washington, and Chrystal Jones (Dave) of Greenbelt, Maryland; and many nieces and nephews (and their children). She will also be lovingly missed by her "second parents" Ben and Loni Genuardi of Vader, Washington, and by her sons' friends that considered Pamela their "mom" - Bobby Mattson, Walter Robedeau and Eli Conrad.

In a twist of fate, Emerson and Pamela met in 1987 when Emerson came to Vancouver to visit his dad, who just so happened to be dating Pamela's mom, Mazie. They went on to marry in 1988 and traveled to Germany with the US Army. Pamela had very fond memories of living in Germany on an Army base and was also happy to move back to the States. They lived in Vancouver after the Army, and lived many years in Atlanta, Georgia before returning to Vancouver in 2015.

Pam's curious mind and open spirit led her to engage with people from all walks of life. Pamela would strike up conversations in the grocery line, at the doctor's office, or wherever people were gathered. She was wonderful with young kids, getting down to their level to interact with them and ask questions. When she took over her mom's genealogy research, she talked to relatives young and old, getting them to share stories of their childhoods and of family history.

Her curious mind sometimes got in her way - she would research topics that interested her thoroughly and was quick to challenge folks that hadn't done their research. She enjoyed lively conversations about politics, social justice, religion, and other juicy topics. She was opinionated and could take counterpoint to discussions just to keep the conversations going.

Music was an important part of Pamela's life. She loved to sing and found joy in the melodies that connected her to others. She had an amazing voice and harmonized beautifully. She taught herself guitar and a little bit of piano. She reminisced recently about growing up with the music of the 70s/80s and how much fun it was to sit on the floor playing 45s and LPs over and over while she learned the words and chords to the songs. She knew the words to so many songs that later, she helped out with karaoke night at a local tavern. Randy Wells, her brother-in-law, shared that interest in music and they had cherished talks about music and specific bands of the time period. He was impressed with her knowledge of not just the popular songs, but the obscure cuts from albums that most people overlook.

Her niece Jessica Wells recounted a lovely story from when Jessica was 9 years old: Jessica was practicing the song "Colors of the Wind" from the Disney movie Pocahantas for an audition. Aunt Pam took her into the bathroom (because it had the best acoustics!) and helped her prepare for her audition. Aunt Pam appreciated having a little girl around since she did not have daughters.

Pamela held a profound belief in the interconnectedness of energy. She believed that when her body ceased to exist, her energy would return to the collective universe to be repurposed in new ways—a reflection of her deep appreciation for life's mysteries and cycles. On the day of her passing, Pamela was surrounded by love as her sons and siblings gathered by her side. Her presence will be deeply missed but fondly remembered by all who knew her.

May Pamela's memory bring comfort to those who loved her and inspire others to live with curiosity and an open heart. Please share any memories or photos you have of Pamela below. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Pamela's name to a local arts organization.