Pamela Marie Stewart

Pamela Marie Stewart, age 61 of Delmar, entered into eternal rest on December 4th following an extended illness. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family. Pam lived a happy and fulfilling life. She was born in 1957 in Newark, New York and was the daughter of Frank and Shirley Pullano. She graduated from Newark Central High School, then attended SUNY Geneseo, where she received a BS degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She went on to earn a MS degree in educating exceptional students from the College of Saint Rose. Pam's educational career spanned over 30 years, most of which were spent working in the Bethlehem Central School District. She was originally hired to develop and teach the district's first primary level self-contained class for students with disabilities. She eventually became a member of a team that designed and developed the district's first co-teaching classroom model, which she successfully piloted. This model is still in existence. Pam was respected by her colleagues and had the reputation for being a strong and caring advocate for her students. After retiring from BCSD in 2014, Pam continued to work in education, both as a substitute teacher, and as a scorer and then facilitator for NYS teacher certification exams for the Pearson Testing Corporation. Pam took great pride in her family. She and her husband John raised two sons, Tom and Chris, who attended BC schools. As both boys played soccer all the way through school, Pam spent many hours on the soccer field. She was one of the original "Hooligan Moms", which came with the responsibility of baking countless dozens of her "famous" chocolate chip cookies. Pam was an avid reader and was a member of the Bethlehem Retired Teachers' Book Group. She was an accomplished quilter and delighted in making quilts for family and friends. She enjoyed traveling with John, especially to anyplace with a beach. Ogunquit, ME was a favorite spot for over 30 years. She loved music and attended many Broadway shows through the years. Pam was a passionate shopper who had a life-long love affair with clothing and jewelry. Pam is survived by her parents, Frank and Shirley Pullano of Greenacres, FL. She also leaves behind her devoted soulmate and the love of her life, John; two sons, Thomas Stewart (Mallory) of Charlotte, NC and Christopher Stewart (Amy Giordano) of Delmar; a sister, Carol Lenhart (Walter) of Wellington, FL, a nephew, Anthony Lenhart (Lauren Breda) and daughter Matilda Lenhart of Wilmot, NH, and a niece, Sarah Lenhart of Largo, FL. Pam is also survived by her devoted terriers, Ranger and Gordon. The Stewart family was blessed to have an amazing outpouring of love and support from friends, colleagues and their church family, as well as caring medical staff during Pam's illness. They would like to thank the staff of St. Peter's medical oncology unit, particularly Drs. Negandhi and Savage, as well as Amanda and Lisa. They are also very grateful to the staff at Slingerlands Elementary School and the members of the Delmar Reformed Church, especially Pastor Chris Vande Bunte and Nancy Landrigan. Finally, they would like to thank the team from Hospice who helped Pam so much during the end of her life, particularly Sherri, Jenifer, and Odette. Following an 11AM private service on Saturday December 8th, friends of Pam and her family are invited to attend an informal catered celebration of her life commencing promptly at 1PM to be held in the Fellowship Hall of the Delmar Reformed Church, located at 386 Delaware Avenue, Delmar. Pam's wishes were that everyone wear bright colors and lots of bling—no black!! In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Bethlehem Community Fund (P.O. Box 341, Delmar NY, 12054), the Bethlehem Food Pantry (445 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054), or The Community Hospice Foundation of Albany (310 S. Manning Blvd, Albany, NY 12208).