Pam West, age 72 of Sac City, IA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at Park View Rehabilitation Center in Sac City.
Pamela Rae Gurney was born on October 24, 1953, to her mother, Virginia Gurney. She grew up in the Lytton area and graduated from Lytton High School.
Pam was blessed with four children: Chad, Jeffery, Jesse, and Faith, who were the center of her world throughout her life.
Over the years, Pam worked at various places in laundry, housekeeping, and kitchen departments. She was a devoted member of Bethel Baptist Church in Newell, IA. On August 28, 2022, Pam was baptized surrounded by her family and church family, a moment that meant so much to her. Her faith was a very important part of her life, and she was deeply thankful for the love and support shown to her by her church family, who made sure she could attend Bible studies and church events whenever possible. Pam also faithfully served as a janitor at the church for several years.
What brought Pam the greatest joy was simply being with her family. It never mattered what they were doing — as long as they were together, she was happy. She especially loved following her grandchildren’s activities through the years and treasured every opportunity to support and cheer them on.
Pam loved the color purple and enjoyed collecting unicorns and koala bears, which always brought a smile to her face. She also enjoyed watching crime shows, doing word search puzzles, and spending time playing bingo at the nursing home. During her time at Park View Rehabilitation Center, Pam formed many special friendships with the staff and residents. She loved joking around with everyone and was quick to hand out nicknames, especially to her daughter Faith, whom she lovingly called “Baby Cakes.” Seeing Faith regularly while she worked at the nursing home brought Pam great comfort and happiness.
Pam will be remembered for her strong faith, her loving heart, her sense of humor, and the deep love she had for her family and friends. Her presence will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
She is survived by her children, Chad (Rosemary) O’Tool of Newell and Faith Pearl of Sac City: grandchildren: Devin (Tami) O’Tool, Zachary Pearl, Rylee Pearl (Jordan Cerwick), Brandon Johnson, Crystal Johnson, Marjorie O’Tool, and Sarah (Malik) Benkhadra; great-grandchildren Kyllian Huertz, Casper O’Tool,and Alexandra O’Tool; Uncle David (Randy) Ewoldt of Sergeant Bluff, IA; many other extended family members and friends.
Pam was preceded in death by her sons, Jeffery and Jesse O’Tool; mother Virginia Quinn; brother Norman Gurney; grandparents Herbert and Lorraine Ewoldt; aunts Shirley Redenius and Janice Buse; and cousin, Sara Redenius.
