Pam died peacefully at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, on Monday 25th July, following a tragic accident the previous week. The following are extracts from the memorial service held at St Andrews Church, Walberswick, written and spoken by her friends and family. To read the full tributes, select the links at the end of each extract to download.
James Webb, Pam's Son
Over the past few weeks, as a family we have received hundreds of cards and emails from friends and family, both local and from across the globe. It has been overwhelmingly joyous to take in everyone’s shared memories and thoughts about our dear mother, sister to Harry, grandmother to Jasmine, Ellie and Sebby, aunt to so many nieces and nephews, and dear friend to so many. The one thing which has been prevalent throughout so many of those correspondences has been the word LOVE and so it seems right for me now to focus on that theme of LOVE as we all celebrate her wondrous life. During her life, Pam, Peddy, Pammie, Speedy or however she was known to you was surrounded by much love. She was a giver of love as well as a keen recipient of it.
She had a deep love of adventure, and in many ways that shaped her life and who she would become. From an early age she would be joined on her adventures by many close friends and family. Whether that be traversing the lanes around Westleton in a pony and trap or exploring Dunwich Forest on horseback with her dear friends, Lino and Tizzy. As a young lady she travelled widely, spending time hitchhiking across Australia and fruit picking in Tasmania and her stopover to explore the canals and temples of Bangkok then onto Singapore to savor high tea in Raffles, on her way over to see the Family ‘down under. She enjoyed an eventful road trip in a to Istanbul with Dad, Mandy and Jackie Batho in a tiny mini, stuffed full of tents and luggage and again those friendships have endured to this day. Her love of adventure continued as she moved to Ireland with our beloved father Wally.
LOVE Mum also had a great love for Literature and the Arts. A love which she has shared with many of you and which she has nurtured in many of us, the younger crowd, in particular , Jasmine, Ellie, Sebby and myself and so many of those she taught over her many years in the classrooms of the schools she worked. She would delight in introducing Jasmine to new poems and novels and she truly cherished the way Jasmine passionately engaged with the stimuli and was incredibly proud of her joining the Walberswick book club and sharing collective thoughts once a month over dinner and a glass of wine.
LOVE Her love of Walberswick and the many communities within it, also formed a huge part of her life. I feel that at times mother may have felt she lived a little in ‘Wally’s’ substantial shadow. But in different ways, she contributed to our beautiful village in just as many ways as he.
LOVE Finally I’d like to talk about her love of the family. She adored her dear father and the wisdom he was able to share with her and was greatly affected by his premature departure. Her mother, Anna provided a huge amount of love to not only Harry, Mary and mother but to all those who would find their way to Ferry House and the Studio, many in the congregation would no doubt be able to attest to this. Her love for her mother was pure and reciprocated. Her love for her brother and sister, Harry and Mary was equally pure.
Read James's full tribute by selecting this link
Lino, Pam's friend
I shall be referring to Pamela as Peddie throughout these memories and thoughts, as that is how she was known at school where we became friends.’ Pamela Edwards’ -Peddie for short. I can’t change a habit of a life time. I am very conscious that every single person here –either friend or family – will have their own very special memories of Peddy. Mine are far from unique, but I can only try to capture some of her genius for friendship in the specifics of our story together. I am sure that you will all recognise in it the person we all love and have felt loved by.
Memories are so rich from this time. They include taking out her mother’s pony and trap into the lanes round Dunwich and Westleton for hours, armed only with marmite sandwiches and Ribena. Peddy was always in charge, confident and happy with her love and understanding of the individual ponies. Later I was allowed to ride her mother’s ponies with her and sometimes with Tizzie, and I have very happy memories of riding through Dunwich Forest, and all around the Heath . Peddy tended to forget I had not had a riding lesson in my life and her huge patience with my nerves was sometimes overridden by her joie de vivre when she would urge her mount into a gallop and mine would inevitably follow. I had absolutely no knowledge of how to control him, and I would see Peddy ducking deftly under low hanging branches and would try to follow suit, only by a miracle clinging on. The adrenaline rush was addictive and Peddy unrepentant.
Read Linos' full tribute by selecting this link
Jasmine, Pam's granddaughter
My Granny wasn’t just a huge part of my life and my family, she was a massive part of the community I’ve grown up in. One of the first things I would tell people about where I live was how lucky I was to only be a few minutes away from my Granny. If someone in the village didn’t know who me and Ellie were, we would just say that we were Pam Webb’s Granddaughters, and most people would know who we were. Just as she was an important part of my life, I am so grateful to know how much Ellie, Sebby and I meant to her. To know how much you mean to someone is a very special feeling. There wasn’t a single day where Granny didn’t think about her Grandchildren. Every Sunday she would come and see me when I work at the ferry. When I first told her that I would be learning to drive a boat, she teared up at the idea of me following suit of Granddad and being on the water. She would never fail to tell me how proud she was of everything I do.
Read Jasmine's full tribute by selecting this link
Harry Edwards, Pam's brother
Within the four walls of this Village Church lie a repository of precious memories. Leading Pam up the aisle to be married to Wally, and later as a young curate baptising Michelle and then James.
She worshipped here just a few weeks ago, at the midweek Book of Common prayer communion service. She loved the texture and the rhythms of the traditional words of the service, learnt from our Father’s lifetime as a parish priest. Pam and I used to say that these ancient words acted rather like as a springboard into the numinous, into a sense of timelessness and holiness. Pam was not a conventional card-carrying member of the Christian faith. Too much emphasis on original sin as opposed to original goodness. Her spiritual resources came from far and wide, and even beyond the cosmos. She had a profound belief in the afterlife, and did not fear death at all, convinced she would be united with Wally and all her loved ones on the other side.
She will always be with us. Her ashes will be scattered on that part of the Common which our mother loved, and where sister Mary’s ashes are scattered too, as indeed mine will be whenever that day comes. We will all meet in the breeze gently rustling the reeds, or in the sunset over the river. And all who knew and loved her will give thanks for the blessedness of life, and the luminosity of grace which she carried unawares.
Read Harry's full tribute by selecting this link