Pamela Kay Holthusen

Pamela Kay Holthusen
Health care worker, 47
Pamela Kay Holthusen, 47, of Astoria, died Wednesday, March 31, 2010, in Astoria.

She was born Feb. 22, 1963, in Portland, to Dennis and Marilyn (Keno) Madsen. Her mother survives, residing in Portland. Her father preceded her in death.

Raised in Portland, she came to Astoria in 1989 from San Diego.

On Jan. 8, 1996, she married Wesley Holthusen in Astoria. He survives at the family home.

Mrs. Holthusen enjoyed a 13-year career as a health care worker for Clatsop Care Center.

Family members said she loved spending time with her family. She enjoyed cooking and preparing dinners with her husband for friends and family. The couple shared a love of fishing and spent many hours on the Columbia River in their boat. She also loved camping at Cullaby Lake, which was their annual family vacation. Gardening had become a hobby, as well as watching birds in her bird feeders and bird houses in the back yard. She also loved spending time with the family cat and dog. She cared deeply for the residents at Clatsop Care Center to the point of purchasing items for them that they needed to make their last days more comfortable and enjoyable.

In addition to her husband and mother, she is survived by three daughters, Marquis Burgess and her companion, Sam Steward, of Longview, Wash., Olivia Burgess and her companion, David Stacey, of San Antonio, Texas, and Hannah Holthusen of Astoria; a granddaughter, Peyton Stacey of San Antonio; a brother, Donald Keno of Portland; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Suzanne Mitchell and Sherri and Bob Smith of Portland; four brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Chris and Lisa Holthusen of Hammond and Darrell and Jodie Holthusen of Astoria; a mother and father-in-law, Barbara and Dave Thompson of Astoria; a niece, Amanda Beal of Astoria; several aunts and uncles, Alyce and Bill Burgess, Sharon and Harry Staples and Patti Brockhoff, all of Astoria, and Loreen and Ron Cochel of McMinnville; and numerous other nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Carolyn Beal; and a grandmother, Fern Brockhoff.

A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 3 at the Hilltop Church, located at Eighth Street and Niagara Avenue in Astoria.