Pamela Joy (Beecroft) Green Gaskill's Obituary
It is with heavy hearts, my brother, Christopher (Bethany), and I - Elizabeth Joy (Raymond), along with our beloved grandchildren: Ross, Nolan, Connor, Kendall, Brittany, Melissa, and Jenni, announce the passing of our cherished mother, Pamela Joy (Beecroft) Green Gaskill.
We feel honored to have known and been part of the life of such an extraordinary woman.
In addition to many loving friends and family, Pamela leaves behind a life captured in her oft repeated phrases “Many a slip, between the cup and the lip,” she would remind anyone far too assured of the future. She understood the uncertainty in life, from her very first trip out of her home in England, to escape the attack of Nazi Germany in World War II. At the age of five, despite often being alone on the ship while her family suffered seasickness, she survived the boat ride to Jamaica. Following a childhood in Jamaica, she moved to Windsor, Ontario, where she learned the practice of nursing. “Touch my knee, marry me,” she would go on to say to Alfred Green in metro Detroit, her future husband with whom she had two children.
She treated the patients of Beaumont Hospital as a registered nurse at Beaumont Hospital for almost 40 years, alongside the new resident trainees. While guiding their hands during procedures she would remind them, “You have the license, but I have the knowledge.” She also spent part of that time at Martha T Berry Medical Care Facility, in Mount Clemens, where she developed lifelong friends, who would come to recognize her compassion and appreciate her wit.
“Here we all are, doing our favorite thing,“ she would exclaim during family get-togethers, usually when everyone was assembled around a large meal. Her home in New Baltimore, MI, on the shore of Lake St. Clair, was the site of many memories for her family to celebrate the holidays, and for her grandchildren to enjoy a few privileges not otherwise allowed at their respective homes. “First you laugh, then you cry,” her grandchildren would hear though, when games and roughhousing had gone a bit too far.
She would go on to remarry and could often be found staring lovingly at her second husband, Robert Gaskill. If you were ever to catch her staring, she would remind you, “The cat can look at the Queen.” She and Bob would travel frequently, and she instilled in her children and grandchildren a great appreciation and joy for exploring new places and meeting new people.
Her winter home in Florida came to be the residence of her second family. She was well known around the park, for her effusive personality and ability to put her years of nursing practice to good use. She loved the warm days spent at the pool and would converse with any and everyone. Pamela was a loving family member, a devout Catholic, a loyal friend, and a comforting stranger, although she would not stay a stranger to anyone for long. She wanted only for others to be happy, and recognized she had a full life. She insisted that no one cry at her passing, although it is understandably difficult when losing someone so important to so many. So, when you think of her…. first you laugh, then you smile.
Pam’s wish for no memorial service reflects her desire to be remembered for the joy she brought through her laughter and smile. In lieu of a memorial service, she requested that memorial contributions be made to the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation https://ghacf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1249 to support the scholarship in her grandson, Ross Patrick McBride’s name. This scholarship is awarded annually to graduates of his elementary school; a meaningful way to honor her legacy and impact future generations.
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