OBITUARY – PAM SORGATZ BOUSQUET

 

Pamela G. Bousquet November 11, 1940 – November 13, 2020
Pamela Bousquet (Sorgatz) passed away peacefully at her home on November 13, 2020. She was a fighter who did not let her cancer diagnosis define her, or stop her daily life. To the end of her illness, she continued tutoring young students in piano lessons via Zoom, attended her own online classes, as well as making lengthy to-do lists for her family and paying close attention to national politics.

Pamela was born at French Hospital in San Francisco in 1940. Her parents were Dorothy and Cecil Sorgatz and she spent her early years in Sausalito. Pam grew up on 10th Avenue & Fulton in San Francisco and attended Presidio Junior High and then Washington High School in 1955. She began her college education at U.C. Berkeley, and married the late Alfred (Skip) Bousquet, Jr. at the age of 19. After several years in Germany, Pam raised her two sons Matthew and Ken primarily in Fairborn, Ohio where she worked as a high school teacher and attended Ohio State University Law School. The family returned to California and settled in Fairfax in the early 1980’s.

After graduating from law school, Pam became a deputy district attorney in 1984 and served for almost 25 years in the Marin District Attorney’s office. She made many lifelong friends there and enjoyed hosting her work gang for lively dinner parties. Pam enjoyed traveling immensely with many visits to Europe, Asia and India. She loved the New Yorker cartoons, her nightly martini, and was a staunch supporter of See’s Candy school fundraisers and the Golden State Warriors.

She joined the Sausalito houseboat community in 1988 and as head of the Harbor Equity Group worked tirelessly to create a process to secure permits at the county, state and federal level thus preserving a way of life that is enjoyed by all the current residents. Pam lived on her houseboat for 32 years with her longtime companion Cornell Ross, who preceded her in death in June of this year.

Pam was known as “Grammy” to her grandchildren Cassandra, Sebastian and Elseay. They were the beneficiaries of her intellect, focus and love. She cared deeply about exposing them to art, ballet, music, history and travel. She loved making their Halloween costumes, attending soccer games and every school performance. No detail about their day was too small to pass along to Grammy. An annual trip to Russian River with as many family members as possible was deeply cherished. Many phone calls from Pam began with “I have a good idea.” Her family was her priority and her support was unwavering.

She prized her volunteer work for non-profits Performing Stars and the Phoenix Project. She was instrumental in helping them develop a long-term sustainability plan. Pam recognized and emphasized the success stories of the young people involved in both organizations and wholeheartedly supported both programs. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting: https://www.performingstars.org/ https://www.phoenixprojectmarin.org/

Pam was generous, supportive and fierce. If she was in your corner, you knew it. She will be missed by all who knew her, especially her sister Paula Boghosian, her sons Matthew and Ken, and their families. The family thanks Marilyn Bryant for her home care of Pam during the pandemic. A celebration of life service will be planned once it is safe to do so.

To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.Published in San Francisco Chronicle from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2020.