A life lived
Geranium Pamela Meade was born 3rd January 1943. At the age of 7, she came to live in Harris’s Hill, Montserrat and attended St George’s School. She is fondly remembered by her sister and brother as being a pleasant child, full of life and laughter with a strong personality always making people smile.
In her late teens, and preferring to go by her middle name, Pamela came to England and moved to Leeds to live with her cousin Eddie Thomas. Eddie helped her to find her feet in the UK and to find her first job which was a seamstress.
In 1961 she regained contact with her old school friend Paul Meade, and a year later, he asked for her hand in marriage. They had two daughters, Lorna and Andrea.
Whilst working full time, Pamela made the decision to go to university and she gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Combined Social Studies from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1997 and was also awarded a Certificate in Counselling Studies in 2000.
Pamela was a natural home maker and when her children were young she enjoyed baking and cooking. Saturdays were a foodie’s delight in the Meade household. Green fingered Pamela enjoyed gardening and took the time to learn all about her house and garden plants. She took the time to prune her roses and to carefully cultivate her much loved fruit trees. Pamela loved cats and over a 40 year period, she owned six.
Pamela was talented musically – she played the piano and could also strum the odd tune on the guitar to song. Pamela loved to sing and her family fondly remember that her cooking in the kitchen would always be filled with song.
Always stylish, Pamela was very fashion conscious. She kept up with the trends in clothes and shoes and over the years acquired a very wide selection of hats for church.
A keen traveller, would frequently take her children to visit her sister Geraldine in London and many seaside resorts across the country. Her firm favourite was Scarborough which she visited as often as possible. Her love for travel continued with the next generation of the family and Pamela took her grandchildren on numerous holidays, both in the UK and abroad.
Christmas and birthdays were always a joyous occasion as Pamela thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her family. With her and her granddaughter almost sharing a birthday, a big fuss was always made to celebrate their birthdays – bringing the whole family together. None of the family birthdays were ever forgotten.
Pamela was also an active and vocal member of the Church Committee for many years, a group established to help and support the minister with the running of the church’s business and pastoral priorities.
In her retirement, and still motivated by a strong desire to help others, Pamela trained to become a counsellor. She undertook volunteer work, and proudly provided support in the local community.
In her senior years, Pamela joined an Arts and Crafts club with her lifelong friend, Agnes Allen and explored her artistic side. This also saw her gain a deeper appreciation for the arts – regularly attending theatre performances and enjoying several trips to the opera.
Loving Life
Pamela has been a Christian all her life and brought up her children and grandchildren within the church. She was one of the founding members of the Church of God of Prophecy in Leeds, helping to establish the Church in the sixties and becoming a lay minister.
Due to her musical talent she was the choir master for many years. In her later years, Pamela became an active member of the Senior Ministries, a group aimed at encouraging the involvement of Church Elders in the running and planning of church services. Her involvement saw her and colleagues organising Thanksgiving and Christmas events and providing pastoral support to isolated and homebound church members.
Pamela was also an active and vocal member of the Church Committee for many years, a group established to help and support the minister with the running of the church’s business and pastoral priorities.
Pamela was a calm, patient and peaceful soul who was always striving for harmony. Her faith kept her steadfast to the end. Her husband Paul passed in 2013 after 50 years of marriage.
Left to mourn are her two daughters Lorna and Andrea, two granddaughters Melanie and Aisha, and her surviving siblings Eddie, Geraldine and Nell.
May her soul rest in peace.