In memory of

Pamela Claire Kernaghan

May 18, 1939 -  January 13, 2017

Youngest daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Vernon Purdy and sister of Vernanne Drummond. Lifelong resident of Toronto as well as former Resident of Mono Township. Very blessed with family members and many wonderful friends, both living and now deceased. Valedictorian (York Mills Public School); School Games Captain (Havergal College); Waterford Director; Graduate of U of T (B.A.) and Wilfrid Laurier (MSW); Social Worker at the Court Clinic and the Children’s Lawyer as well as in private practice pioneering Employee Assistance Programs in Canada. Much enjoyed retirement with further education in a variety of fields, travelling and volunteering.
A Memorial Celebration of Pamela's life will be held on Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at the Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre. Visitation starting at 1 p.m., service at 2 p.m. Internment at Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto with her parents.

Guestbook 

(5 of 5)

Joyce Curry (colleague and friend)

Entered January 16, 2017 from Toronto

I had the pleasure of working with Pam for 10 years at the Office of the Children's Lawyer and have remained friends ever since. I always looked forward to our dinners together at Spigula where we shared some wisdom but lots of laughs. I am saddened by losing Pam all too soon.

Leslie Nelson (friend for 46 years)

Entered January 16, 2017 from Toronto

None of us can believe what has happened to Pam. She was my roommate in first year of our MSW. program. We have been friends ever since. A small group of us have kept in touch over the years through all of our ups and downs. She was the best friend anyone could ever have. She was a truly dedicated and wonderful social worker who had to deal with some of the "hardest stuff" in her work. She will be terribly missed by many people. She was loyal and generous to her friends and family. I hope she knows how much we all appreciated her. Her life was over too soon . There are not many "Pams" in this world - we can all learn from the way she chose to live her life.

Ginnie & Kent Stewart (Friends though Lizzie Bell)

Entered January 16, 2017 from Bermuda

Vernanne and family with extremely heavy hearts Kent and I extend our sincere thoughts to you and your family at this difficult time.

My aunt, Lizzie Bell, was a life long friend of Pam. Through this friendship we got to know Pam. She met us over the years and Kent and I were so pleased she joined Lizzie, and our families at our wedding in Bermuda in 1994. Pam was so elegantly dressed on our day with a wide brimmed hat and gorgeous dress that complimented her. We were so pleased she could come and join in the celebration!

Pam was an exordinary listener as well, a trait at times I have had difficulty in mastering! She would be so patient listening to the latest things that were going on in our lives and would often throw in her rye sense of humor during the conversation! Those zingers provided much laughter and were great releases for us.

In the latter years after Lizzie's older sister, Barbara (my mother) died Pam often would join Lizzie at our family home, "Longuissa" in Georgian Bay. I know my late grandmother, Nan Bell, would have tipped her hat at Pam as Pam I believe, became an honorary member at Longuissa after Nan and Barbara had passed.

Pam shared a similar passion of watching figure skating championships with us over the years. Lizzie organized typically all the tickets and events and we all bunked in at her home in Halifax taking over the place for a week - all 5 us n Lizzie's cozy house! We saw the best of the best Canada had to offer and at the World Skating level as well. We often would discuss the performances and be arm chair critics as well!

We hope some of these memories and the many more you will likely learn of will bring you comfort in the years to come.

Kent and I will miss Pam terribly as we know you will. She was a class act!



Margaret Brown (friend and social work colleague)

Entered January 18, 2017 from Edmonton

Pamela was an amazing individual. Friendly, supportive, intelligent and always welcoming of others. I offer my sincere condolences to you her family and many friends. I will remember the good times, the laughter, the travels together and I am thankful to have had her as a friend.
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us".
Helen Keller

Martha Bell and the Patman Family (friends through Lizzie Bell)

Entered January 21, 2017 from New Zealand

From far away, we also send our deepest sympathies. It is a shock to hear of Pam's passing from my father, Lizzie Bell's brother. Pam has always been a huge friend of mine through her love and support for our extended family, through Lizzie Bell, as Ginnie Stewart says. And she was always a wonderful confidante, with wise insights, which is her social work strength, and which I appreciated deeply. I will miss her warmth and humour. She touched me and our small Kiwi family on the occasions that we could all get back to Toronto, most recently for the loss of my brother, Brooke Bell. I will treasure our last hug, Pam - thank you for everything. Thank you, Auntie Biz, for sharing your best friend with your nieces and nephews over all these years.

Photos 

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