Pamela Jo Petty Schaible

It does not seem real to write these words but Mom passed away on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Her name was Pamela, but she went by Pam. She never met a stranger and would have long conversations with people she just met. I used to joke that it didn’t matter where she went, near or far, she knew someone. One time we were somewhere out of state and saw someone she knew! She was just like that.
Mom grew up on Craven Street in Durham, NC. Some of the people reading this probably knew her as a child. The stories I have heard are that she was a Tomboy, which is funny since Grandma Maybelle Petty dressed her in frilly clothes. Mom said once she climbed the china cabinet and knocked it over, breaking every piece, and Grandma was so mad. She was a daddy’s girl according to Uncle Phil and Uncle Gary, but she loved her mama just as much.
Mom was a caretaker. When Grandma got hurt and grew sickly with age she made sure she was cared for one way or another. She sacrificed a lot to make sure Grandma was cared for: her time, her energy, her sleep, practically all of herself. She loved her brothers and worried about their health. Uncle Gary used to secretly love that Mom checked up on him every day, several times a day. It was hard on her when he left us for heaven. I think she was so focused on how Uncle Phil was doing because she couldn’t stand to lose another brother. Well Mom, you made it to heaven first, you win.
One sure fire way to get on Mom’s bad side was to mess with her family. She loved me and Angie very much, but she would fight you over her grandkids. Abie (Ebrahim) was her first grandbaby and he could do no wrong. Then came Isaiah and Michael the same year. They were all her boys. Then she was overjoyed when Mariam came along, finally a girl! Soon followed by Nailah. Mom was so happy being a grandmother. She loved them all so much and was excited about Abie’s baby arriving in the fall!
She was a real person with faults, but she was good too. If she saw someone who needed something she tried to find a way to give it to them. She was one of those people who bought food for people on the roadside, or even gave a little money if she had it. I used to tell her not to do that, and she would say no one knows what they are going through. She was loving and kind hearted.
Her kind heart extended to animals too. She tried to feed everything and make it feel loved. She didn’t care if it cost her last dollar. She loved them all. My dogs are spoiled rotten because of her. They would bounce around and bark like they had not seen her for years when she came home. They keep looking for her and are very disappointed when it’s only me. Please honor Mom by being kind to animals and consider adopting an unwanted pet at your local shelter.
Mom was amazing. I always knew she loved me, even when she didn’t like me at the moment. I hope she knew I always loved her, even when we aggravated each other and she didn’t like me very much at the moment. I will miss her smile. I will miss her voice. I will miss her hugs most of all. I will miss her, forever.
Her name was Pamela Schaible. She was born Pamela Jo Petty in Pinehurst, NC. She was the daughter of Chapin Henry Petty and Maybelle Horton Petty. She had two brothers, Gary Petty whose current address is heaven, and Phil Petty who lives on without her with his wife, Kathy Petty, who Mom loved dearly. She had two girls, Angie Khan and Stacy Weiss, and five grandchildren, Ebrahim (Abie), Isaiah, Michael, Mariam, and Nailah. She also thought of Stacy’s step kids: Elizabeth, JT, and Brittnee and grandkids, Kayleigh, Dakota, Skylar, Eli, and little baby Parker, as her own. She loved us all ridiculously.
Mom was full of love and will be missed so very much.

A visitation will be held from 9:30 AM – 11 AM at First Pentecostal Church, 2008 W. Carver St., Durham, NC on Saturday, June 5, 2021 with the funeral to follow at 11 AM. Burial will take place following the service at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens, Durham, NC.
The family asks guests to wear bright colors to the funeral to celebrate Pam's life.
The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC.