Pamela D. Hutchins

Pamela Douglass Hutchins, 51, of Salisbury, New Hampshire, native of Bethel, Maine, died at her home Wednesday, August 15, 2001, surrounded by her family, following a short battle with metastatic ocular melanoma, an aggressive form of cancer. She was born on December 4, 1949, in Portland, Maine, the daughter of Barbara Anderson Douglass and the late Dana C. Douglass, Jr. She received her early education in Bethel schools, graduated from Gould Academy in 1968 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development with a minor in Social Work in 1972 from the University of Maine in Orono. In later years, Pamela took numerous graduate level and professional development courses, furthering her education in the field of child development and education. Pam began her career in early childhood education at the Jewish Community Center and the Penquis CAP Day Care Center in Bangor, Maine. She eventually became director of the day care center, which at the time was the second largest facility of its kind in Maine. In 1985, she and her family moved to New Hampshire where she worked as head teacher and special needs coordinator at the Plymouth State College Child Development and Family Center. Subsequent positions included adjunct faculty member at the New Hampshire Technical Institute College in Laconia, day care center director, early intervention specialist, and reading tutor/teacher. For the last four years, she worked as a first grade/kindergarten teacher at Loudon Elementary School. Throughout her career, Pam was involved in many activities outside of work. While in Maine, she served on several state-wide committees including the Northern Area Advisory Board of Foster Grandparents and the State Day Care Director’s Committee on Sexual Abuse Issues. She served as President of the Maine Day Care Association and was a member of the Title XX training board and the Eastern Association for the Education of Young Children. In New Hampshire, extracurricular activities focused largely on the Merrimack Valley School District, both as a parent and as a teacher and on civic activities within the Town of Salisbury. Pam co-chaired the MV Music Parent’s Organization for several years and served on many committees, the primary goal of which was to improve the educational experience at Merrimack Valley. In town, Pam served in various capacities, including Trustee of Salisbury Free Library, Treasurer for the Salisbury Congregational Church, and town representative to Child and Family Services and to Twin Rivers Support Services. She recently became a board member for the Visiting Nurse Association of Franklin and was assistant tax collector in town for many years. Irrespective of her contributions through work and civic activities, Pam was perhaps best known for her caring, compassionate, and understanding nature that reflected her genuine love of people. She brightened the lives of all who knew her with her positive attitude, kind words, and thoughtful ways. Pam loved life and inspired those around her by never failing to appreciate its beauty. Survivors include her husband of 30 years, Mark of Salisbury; two daughters, Andrea Sickinger of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Karen of Salisbury; her mother, Barbara A. Douglass of Bethel, Maine; three sisters, Cheryl A. Douglass of Woburn, Massachusetts, Diana (DeeDee) Kellogg of Bethel, Maine and Barbara D. Weeks of Dunbarton, New Hampshire; and several nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be held on August 22, at 3:00 PM at the Salisbury Congregational Church and on August 25, at 11:00 AM at the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel, Maine. Interment will be at the Riverside Cemetery in Bethel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pam’s memory to the Merrimack Valley athletic fields at MV Field, MVHS, 106 Village Street, Penacook, NH 03303, Attn. Kevin O’Brien or to Child & Family Services, PO Box 448, Manchester, NH 03105.