[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 139 (Friday, August 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





              HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF PAMELA ROSS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 25, 2023

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the legacy of a Livingston 
County, Michigan woman whose life, though cut tragically short, was a 
testament to kindness, inclusivity, and tolerance. Pamela Ann Ross of 
Brighton never sought attention, never wanted credit for the light she 
spread so generously everywhere she went. But as those who love her 
grapple with her loss, we must lift up her life as an example of what 
it really means to live in community.
  Pam loved her state and the people in it. A proud graduate of Milford 
High School, she traveled right down the road to attend Michigan State 
University, leaving the state only briefly to pursue a Master's degree 
in teaching from Arizona State University. Pam brought those skills and 
talents back home, seeking to help set students up for success as 
citizens of the world and inspire in them a drive to do well and 
succeed in life. To this day, she is remembered as a beloved and 
inspirational second grade teacher who wanted nothing more than to see 
her students reach their full potential.
  As she built her family, first with husband Stan and later with their 
2 sons, Jackson and Nicholas, and 2 canine ``children,'' Luna and 
Bella, Pam made the decision to devote herself fully to the homefront. 
But she never stepped back from her mission to be of service to others, 
nor did she ever stop seeing the very best in people. Pam was a 
steadfast volunteer in her children's classrooms, with Boy Scouts, and 
with numerous community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity 
where she served on the board of directors for many years.
  Pam was also a fierce advocate for equality, and a firm believer that 
every child and every person in the community deserves love, 
acceptance, and respect just as they are. She was particularly 
passionate about vulnerable populations, speaking out in her firm but 
loving way at school board meetings and organizing events in support of 
LGBTQ+ and minority students, as well as those with disabilities.
  But it was Pam's quiet life of service that her friends and family 
remember most: the way holiday and birthday gifts would appear on the 
porches of neighborhood children whose parents were going through tough 
times, or the gift cards those same parents would find under their 
doormats, the backpacks she stuffed full of school supplies for kids 
who might otherwise go without, the meal deliveries that just showed up 
for families in need. Pam never attached her name to those gifts. But 
everyone knew where they came from--and the love behind them.
  Mr. Speaker, in this world there are those who dream of a better 
world and those who actively work to make it so, and Pam was the rare 
blend of both. In Pam's world, neighbors looked after each other no 
matter what, and strangers were merely friends she had yet to meet. Her 
unexpected passing leaves a deep void in the hearts and lives of so 
many, and I send my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all 
who knew and loved her. May her memory live on in every step we 
actively take toward a kinder, more inclusive community. Everyone was 
welcome in Pam's heart and in her home, so it is fitting that her 
legacy will forever be remembered.

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