Pamela Joan Thomas

Pamela “Pam” Joan Thomas, 65, of Jackson, MI, passed away on April 6, 2022, with her husband by her side. In Minnesota, she was born to Barbara Asp and Donald Hoaglund on January 13, 1957. As a child, she was protective of her “little” brother, David, and a co-conspirator with her big brother, Mark. She would often cook meals for her family and became a great cook at a young age.Pam from Minnesota met Paul from Michigan in a tiny town in Northern California. And they married on June 11, 1977, in Wisconsin. After the wedding, they drove back across the country to California. While living in California, they had a daughter, Nikisha. Eventually, they moved back to Michigan to make sure that Nikisha knew her Aunt Cecile and the rest of the Thomas family, who embraced Pam as one of their own. Pam worked in a wide variety of jobs before relocating to Michigan and taking a data entry clerking position at a small software company. When the programmer at the company quit, she taught herself how to code using program listings and user manuals. She went on to become a Programmer Analyst at an Ann Arbor software company for the remainder of her career. Pam loved spending time with her daughter and granddaughter as well as shopping, gardening, quilting, reading, cooking, and spending time with her family. She was bright, funny, and beautiful. She was sassy, stubborn and sarcastic. From providing love and light to her family and friends to vigorous arguments and disputes, Pam was a whole person and will be wholly missed. Her courage in facing her final struggle was an inspiration. Pam is survived by her husband of 44 years, Paul Thomas; her daughter, Nikisha Martin (Brandon); granddaughter Aurora Martin, and brothers Marcus Hoaglund (Sheryl) and David Hoaglund, nephew Aaron Hoaglund (Megan), and great-nephew Graydon. Pam was preceded in death by her mother Barbara Asp, step-father Harold Asp, father Donald Hoaglund, and grandson Connor Martin. Pam also had numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.The Celebration of Pam’s Life will be held at 3:00 PM on Friday, April 29, 2022 at Saint James Lutheran Church, 4425 S Jackson Rd, Jackson, MI, with Pastor Martha Porter-Reid officiating. The family will receive friends from 2:00-3:00 PM prior to the service, with a reception to follow.