55
Humboldt, SD
July 16, 2022
Pamela Sue Ideker, age 55, of Humboldt was called home by the Lord on Saturday, July 16 at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.
Pam was born on September 18, 1966, in Sioux Falls to Donald and Patricia Ideker. She was born with downs syndrome so she was an angel from that day forward. Even though she was not able to speak throughout most of her years, she was able to tell everyone what she wanted and she knew exactly what was happening even if you didn’t think so. After some schooling, she began working for Sioux Vocational doing jobs such as stringing pulleys for windows and stuffing envelopes. In March of 1997, she was awarded as the worker of the month. Pam did so well during her working career, she was able to retire in her 40’s. She enjoyed spending Friday nights with Grandma Beaner and was sure to get some cookies to eat. She participated in the Special Olympics doing the 50-yard dash and softball throw. Pam loved music like no other. While watching the country music channel, she would play the air guitar and would sometimes stand up and dance. She was very helpful around the house and pitched in with chores by sweeping floors, vacuuming, folding towels and washcloths then unfolding them and folding them again if they weren’t to her liking. Throughout a great portion of her time, you would always see her with a diet Mountain Dew and was always excited to open a case of it on her birthday or at Christmas time no matter how many she got to open. During the holidays, she would help Mom out by getting the table cloth out if she knew people were soon coming over. Sometimes, she might put out a Christmas table cloth for Thanksgiving and vice versa but she was happy and proud to do it. She would also sneak Christmas gifts of others back to her bedroom and put them in her suitcase. So, if someone was missing something, that’s usually where we’d find it. She also loved Easter season and coloring Easter eggs and then finding them on Easter Sunday. Pam loved to hold babies. She would have a big smile on her face when she got to hold one. She also loved her stuffed bear and dolls. In her older age, Pam loved sitting in her recliner under her blanket and watching TV shows such as America’s Got Talent and the country music channel. Another of Pam’s favorite things to do was to go camping. She would stand by the living room window and just stare out at the camper hoping to go camping that day. When Dad would hook the camper up, she would go start gathering things for the trip. During the trip, she would not leave the camper that’s how much she loved it. She would sit in her spot and watch all the activities going on around her. And don’t dare put one of your items on her seat because she would open up the door and throw it out. That was her space and her space only. On top of all of that, Pam’s other favorite thing to do was to wrestle. If she got up off of her chair and made the wrestling gesture with her arms, you knew what was coming. When she threw you in her headlock there was no chance to get out of it. It was just a matter of her doing the 1-2-3 count which she took joy in. To this day, she is undefeated and will go down in history as the greatest Ideker wrestler ever.
Pam is survived by her parents, Don and Patty Ideker (Humboldt); five brothers, Dean Ideker (Kim Upton) (Hartford), Paul (Lynn) Ideker (Hartford), Mark (Leslie) Ideker (Humboldt), Mike (Darcy) Ideker (Hartford), and Brad (Stephanie) Ideker (Harrisburg); six nephews and six nieces; five great nephews and four great nieces and many cousins. Pam is preceded in death by grandparents Larry and Catherine Ideker and August and LaVera Beaner; brother Gregory Ideker and nephew Alec Ideker.
Funeral services were held at Saint Ann’s Catholic Church in Humboldt on Wednesday, July 20 at 9:30 am. Visitation was held at Saint Ann’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, July 19 at 6:00 pm with a prayer service to that began at 7:30 pm.
The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at Lifescape for all of the years of great care and to the Dougherty Hospice House for the amazing love and care provided at the end of her earthly journey.
Funeral services provided by Kinzley Funeral Home