Pamela Cecille Gallegos

On Monday, August 22, 2022, Pamela Ponte Gallegos, loving wife, mother, grandmother, beloved sister, aunt and best friend of many, passed away at the age of 75 after complications following medical treatment.

Pam was the first born to Jose and Cecilia Ponte in Berkeley, California on October 22, 1946. The little Ponte family remained in Berkeley California for the first few years of her life. Eighteen months after Pam was born her younger brother Frank arrived. Eventually the family moved to a house on Cypress Street in Santa Ana, California. Two more brothers followed, Adrian in 1953 and Paul in 1955. Pam and Paul – the oldest and youngest siblings - were born 8 1/2 years apart.

With a growing family the decision was made in 1957 to move to a larger house in Tustin on Redhill Avenue. Pam grew up in this house and attended local schools including Marywood Catholic High School in Anaheim until she moved out of the family home to begin college.

While completing course work at Orange Coast College Pam was asked to participate in the Miss Santa Ana beauty pageant of 1967, which she won. She went on to work as an executive assistant at the Bank of Santa Ana and then later held the same position at The Saddleback Inn on First Street in Santa Ana. It was during an event there that she met her future husband, Rudy Gallegos, a locally prominent building contractor. They were married in 1971, gave birth to two sons, and remained a devoted couple for 45 years until Rudy’s passing in 2016.

As a widow, Pam stayed busy but over time found herself longing for companionship. In 2020 she met a gentleman named Larry Lewis, also a widower. They forged a new, loving relationship that culminated in Pam and Larry’s engagement to be married in the fall of 2022. They planned a life together that included travelling, sharing their dreams, and enjoying their golden years together. Pam’s sudden and unexpected illness shortened their time together.

During Pam’s life, she always maintained a singular focus to provide service to others. She was tireless in her advocacy for people in need, especially children, and spent thousands of hours working in various charities, fundraisers, food and clothing drives and many other philanthropies. It was typical to find Pam running around the county on weekends to support one cause or another. One of her favorite fundraisers was centered around raising money to help pay for the huge amounts of pasta that Bruno Serato of the Anaheim White House restaurant prepares daily to serve over 5,000 hungry children in need. Pam never lost sight of her North Star, which was service to others, and it defined her life.

Pam is survived by two sons, Robb Gallegos and Greg Gallegos, as well as grandchildren Lucas, Sophia, and Gunnar. Also daughter-in-law Nicole Shong, brother Paul Ponte, sister-in law Caroline Ponte, nieces Jessica, Jamie, Amanda and Michelle, and other nieces, cousins and of course, many friends.

Pamela will be greatly missed by family and friends and at the same time she will be fondly remembered.

A funeral service will be held at Fairhaven Memorial Park, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, Ca. 92705 on Saturday, September 24th at 12:00 pm noon.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to feed the children by going to Caterinasclub.org/donate/