Pam Salvador
Pam Salvador died May 20, 2019. She was born July 26, 1956, to Myron and Gladys Wilkinson in Somerset, New Jersey. She was the oldest child, with three sisters, Sharon Baladez, Myra Sexton and Kalee Coradini, and one brother, Bub Wilkinson.
She spent most of her childhood in Chappell, Nebraska, where she found her love of horses and made many lifelong friendships.
Then March 26, 1972, she had a son, Tony, a few years later got married and then Feb. 11, 1978, had a daughter, Mari. Her favorite job when her kids were young was owning the restaurant in Sedgwick that is now Lucy’s Place. She worked tirelessly to keep both the locals and the traffic from the interstate’s bellies full of home-cooked food as well as keeping the farmers in hot coffee.
She enjoyed attending school and sporting events that her kids were involved in. Her home was known as ‘home’ to many high school friends of Tony’s, and she always felt if they were at the house, they were safe and fed, and that made her happy.
She married Steve Salvador on June 2, 1995. They then moved to Livermore, then Grover and then Ault. In 2001 their home exploded due to a propane leak, which resulted in her having both feet amputated. Her strong spirit wouldn’t be broken though. She adapted and was able to walk again with prosthetics and even toured local schools with the prosthetic doctor to give presentations to students and answer questions they had.
Then they moved to Haxtun and spent the last seven years or so snowbirding to Arizona. She loved their time in Arizona and especially times when they would play poker and hang out with friends there.
Pam is survived by her husband, Steve of Haxtun; son, Tony and LeeAnn Thomas of North Platte, Nebraska; daughter, Mari and Jeremy of Windsor; stepson, Kevin and Sherry Salvador of Haxtun; stepdaughter, Robin and Jeff Fugate of Greeley; grandchildren, Preston, Carson, Kaitlyn, Dylon and Jase; uncle, Fred and Vicki Jensen of Julesburg; sisters, Sharon and James Baladez of Kersey, Myra and Bill Sexton of Fort Morgan, and Kalee and Christopher Coradini of Nashville, Tennessee; brother, Bub and Candy Wilkinson of Sidney, Nebraska; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and cousins.
Pam was preceded in death by her father, Myron; mother, Gladys; grandson, Jonathan; and aunt, Carolyn Jensen.
To summarize a life in a few minutes is a difficult thing, but Pam was one of a kind. She was a hard worker, never backing down from a challenge or thinking she couldn’t do a job. She loved and cared deeply for those around her, she never knew a stranger or an enemy, and she drew strength from visits with friends and family.
She loved her grandkids deeply. Upon arriving at her daughter’s house at her last visit less than two weeks ago, her grandson Jase hugged her for several minutes as did her other grandson Dylon, and later that night she said, “Both boys gave me the biggest hug when I got here,” and that gave her true joy — two simple hugs had her still beaming hours later.
She was the kindest soul and was never afraid to show it; she would help anyone anytime with anything they needed. She gushed over her grandkids and were their biggest fans, and they felt that depth of love.
She was a fierce animal lover from a young age and throughout life made domesticated pets out of nearly any type of animal you could imagine, including raccoons, skunks, donkeys, goats, etc. She loved rodeo and country music and was an avid George Strait fan.
Her loved ones can take comfort in the fact that she’s not struggling or in pain any longer. Her family hopes that with this loss, everyone can take a page from her book and be a bit kinder and gentler to each other like she always was and never be afraid to show their love for those around them.
A celebration of life was held May 28 at Haxtun United Methodist church. A private family inurnment was also held.
Memorial contributions may be made to Wages Fire Department, 17498 County Road 57, Yuma, CO 80759.
Baucke Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.