Obituary of Pamela Nora Buklis
Buklis : Pamela
Pamela passed away quietly on Sunday March 2, 2025, following a long illness. She was the loving wife of Vincent Buklis (deceased 2016) for 51 years, and she was a devoted mom to their four children and an enthusiastic grandma to her three grandchildren and many other children whose lives she touched.
Pam emigrated from Guyana as a child and grew up in Toronto where she attended St. Joseph’s College High School. The nuns at St. Joseph’s were an important influence in her life, not only as course instructors, but also by encouraging her to develop and use her talents. Although she wanted to go on to university, for financial reasons she was unable to do so right after high school and she quickly found office work. But the nuns reached out to her and helped her land a teaching job in Collingwood, Ontario at only 17 years of age – this was a turning point for Pam. She not only performed well in this role, but it opened a door to teacher’s college for her, and she continued to enjoy teaching in the elementary grades for several years. Although Pam loved being an educator, she found it difficult to balance this demanding career with the needs of her growing family. Instead, she continued to apply her teaching skills via homework help for her own children; tutoring friends and family; providing volunteer expert input into the primary grades’ math curriculum for the Welland County Separate School Board; being a Brownie leader; and working in childcare, among other ways.
Pam was also an active member of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic parish in Fort Erie, Ontario for the four decades that this community was her home. She was a decorated member of the Catholic Women’s League, where she also played a role on the executive committee for several years. During her time in the Niagara Region, she nurtured many deep friendships, maintaining pen pal and telephone relationships with friends from her childhood and developing new bonds with people she met through her children and her community activities. After the loss of her husband eight years ago, she moved to the Greater Toronto Area to be closer to her children and play a bigger role in the lives of her grandchildren.
Pam’s family would like to thank the health and palliative care teams at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital for their generous and skilled care over the past few years and especially through the past six weeks. Funeral and visitation arrangements will be managed by Benner Funeral Services (bennerfuneralservices.ca) in Fort Erie on Monday from 11 am until 1 pm. Pam’s funeral Mass will be held at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Fort Erie at 2 pm Monday, March 10, 2025. Recognizing Pam’s connection to children, please consider making a donation to a child-focused charity in lieu of a gift of flowers.
Watch the service on https://www.facebook.com/share/1YK6Y8QSuU/
