In honor of Nurses Week, Sodalis Senior Living celebrates Pam Story, one of Sodalis’ longest-serving nurses. As Sodalis San Marcos’ Health & Wellness Director, Pam has worked with seniors for nearly 49 years!
Pam worked for Provident House for 7 years, which later became managed by Sodalis Senior Living. Pam had retired but felt she was not quite ready to give up her career, so began working part-time at Sodalis, also working at nearby communities Sodalis Buda and Sodalis New Braunfels! Sodalis Senior Living had the honor of sitting down with Pam and learning more about her passion for nursing as well as her commitment to providing the highest level of care to our memory care residents.
Pam’s Calling
Originally from Carroll, Iowa, Pam dreamed of becoming a nurse ever since she was a child. “I laugh about it now because I remember when I was a little girl, I would visit my grandma at the nursing home and I said, ‘I’m never going to work here,’” recalls Pam. “I was so afraid as a little girl to go there but soon discovered it is my calling.” Pam soon became inspired by the hardworking nurses caring for her grandmother at the nursing home. “I looked up to the nurses. I played ‘nurses’ with my cousins, and while they hated it, I loved it,” laughs Pam. By the time Pam was as young as 5 years old, she was determined to become a nurse.
As a young woman attending college in Mason City, Iowa, Pam met her husband, Bruce. Bruce encouraged Pam to pursue her passion for nursing and helped her complete nursing school; he even helped her study! Earlier this year, Bruce gave Pam a sweet necklace with a stethoscope charm. Bruce has always been incredibly supportive of Pam’s dreams of becoming a nurse.
Nursing Career and Move to Texas
Upon completing nursing school, Pam became a charge nurse in a 60-bed nursing home located in Iowa. Eventually Pam and her family moved from Iowa to Austin, where her husband found a job with Budweiser. Meanwhile, Pam launched her career working in the Assisted Living and Memory Care industry. Over her years in Austin, Pam worked for Grace House and Brookdale. Eventually Pam became an LVN at Provident House – now Sodalis San Marcos – where she remained for 7 years.
In 2018, Pam retired. After moving from Dripping Springs to Kyle, she found herself missing working with seniors. “I was not totally ready to give up my career, so I called Sodalis and inquired about working part-time. After helping at Sodalis’ Buda and San Marcos communities, Pam was offered a position in which she served the small, tight-knit Sodalis Memory Care communities in both San Marcos and New Braunfels.
When asked if she can recall any especially memorable experiences throughout her nursing career, Pam said there have been so many, “I can’t decide which one stands out the most.” Pam recalled one amusing occasion during one of Sodalis San Marcos’ regular costume parties. The theme was the 1950s, and residents and associates dressed up in popular 50s fashion. Pam discovered that she and one of the residents were wearing the same poodle skirt! “We thought that was really funny,” says Pam.
Another especially memorable gentleman was Ron, whose family moved him from the Brookdale community Pam previously worked at to Provident House, where Pam has just begun her new position. The reason? Pam made a life-saving decision when Ron, who had multiple sclerosis, nearly passed. “As a nurse, sometimes you have to make a decision and it turned out I made the right one,” says Pam. To this day, Pam continues to run into many people whose lives she has touched over the years. “The Lord has been with me. I am blessed about that.”
Nursing: A Family Tradition
When Pam is not serving Sodalis residents, she enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband Bruce have 3 children: Erica, Nathan and Brandon. Erica followed in her mother’s footsteps, also becoming a nurse. She has worked in Cedar Creek as an LVN for an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor for 22 years. Nathan and Brandon live nearby in Buda and Kyle, making it easier to regularly get the family together. Among her 5 grandchildren, Pam’s granddaughter Kamry also dreams of becoming a nurse and anesthesiologist. She is already working on completing her high school prerequisites.
Sodalis Senior Living is proud to celebrate its deeply caring and committed nursing staff. Pam is just one of our many dedicated nurses, and from the Sodalis family we wish everyone a Happy Nurses Week.
