Obituaries

Pamila Ann Dowell (Leggett), my beautiful mommy, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on Tuesday September 9th 2025. She was adored by everyone that knew her.

Pam was born to Bill and Barbara Leggett on November 30th, 1955 in Chicago IL.  And later became a fiercely loyal older sister to Laurie and Rhonda.

Rhonda says of being Pam’s sister, “Pam was an example of living life to the fullest to me. My big sister Pam was a beautiful and full of life example  to me when I was growing up. I learned, from watching her,  to love others and to welcome everyone to the party. I also learned from her mistakes. She never hid her failures, her humbleness was inspiring.  Even if we argued or disagreed she ended every conversation by saying she loved me. Her decision to follow Jesus and be baptized as a child led our family to church. She was the beginning of my faith journey. Her love and support of my kids was a miracle to watch. She loved them unconditionally. Hopefully we will all honor her memory by loving others in the same way.”

She graduated from Central High School in 1973 with her one and only best girlfriend ever, Mary. Her time spent with Mary were some of her most joyful memories that she shared often. They were the life of every party. They danced and lived their most fun, carefree, young lives to the fullest.

On May 26th 1985 Pam became my mommy.  There has never been a better mom to walk this earth.  My mother loved me and protected me fiercely until the day she died. She spent her days teaching me everything there is to know.  My mom was brilliantly smart.  She knew so many things about so many things.  She read books on any subject she found interesting.  Forensics, psychology, medical journals, history, music, movies, and television.  When I was little I would lay on the floor in her bedroom and she would pick albums from her collection to listen to with me.  She would teach me about the different kinds of music.  She explained the brilliance of the her favorite band, The Beatles, and always pointed out how other artists recorded things and played their instruments in ways that were inspired by them. She introduced me to comedy.  We would listen to Steve Martin, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor when I was most certainly too young to understand but it instilled in me a deep appreciation for comedy. Her movie and music taste was impeccable.  I remember answering our phone when I was 5 years old to people calling to ask her who sang what song, or who was in that movie… She was a human Google before Google existed. My childhood was filled with nothing but love when I was with her.  My favorite memories were playing dress up with her old party dresses and high heels, playing play-doh where she would make me furniture for my “guys” to sit on (my favorite was the arm chair), coloring, going to parks, and putting on performances for her where she would take the legs off of my little table and chairs set, and make the table top into my stage so I could perform Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer. She worked so hard to give me everything I ever wanted and needed.  She took me to movies, concerts, plays, and museums.  She was so cool. Honestly, the coolest person I have ever known. She showed me everything. She would tell you that she isn’t crafty, but she made all of my Halloween costumes.  She made sure my outfits and hair were perfectly styled before school. She would drive me to school and we would listen to loud music and scream-sing the whole way. After working all day, she would make me a bedtime snack and we would watch TV while she painted her nails – every single night – to match her outfit the next day. On some Fridays my grandma would drive me to my mom’s work and we would go to Charlestowne Mall where we would eat in the food court and go to the record store and candy store. Every Friday she would come home with the new music releases for the week.  When I was 10, she really loved Alanis Morissette and she thought Jagged Little Pill was such a cool album that she taped it for me and paused the recording to edit out the dirty words. She came to every single performance of anything I ever did. She was my number one fan.  Always.  She became all of my friend’s “momz.” She treated everyone as if they were her own. I never felt anything but love from her.  I told her this all the time. She was the most amazing mom.  I don’t know what I did to deserve her.  She was my best friend. She was my only parent. I never felt the need for anyone else or the absence of another parent. Ever.  I never needed anyone but my mommy.  No one will ever know me like she did. She was everything.

My mom was also an aunt “Bum” to Corey, Ashley, Emily and Katie. Her nieces and nephew loved hanging out in Bum’s room. Her room was always the hangout spot.  She always had the best snacks and TV shows going in there.  She loved being an aunt.  She was so proud of them. She loved them always.

On May 29th 2008 she took on a new role.  Goo.  Her grandson Brett came into her life and she decided her name was going to be Goo now because “babies say Goo first.” She became Goo that day and that is who she was for the rest of her life.  She taught this boy the same things she taught me. Music, movies, TV.  She and Brett had a closeness and a bond like no other.  She loved this boy with all of her heart. She always told me that she didn’t know how her heart could hold more love than it had for me.  When Brett came into the world, the first thing she said to me was “oh, that’s how.” Their favorite times together were listening to their music too loud, taking trips to Popeyes, and being each other’s confidant. She would watch a show with Brett before school that showed baby dogs going to the homes they deserved so that his day started with love and joy. She would walk him to the bus and she would be waiting at the bus stop when he got home.  They would watch Ellen every day after school, eat snacks and drink Fresca and talk about his day. She helped him learn to drive.  A few weeks before she passed she went to a concert in a high schooler’s basement, stood up front in the middle of a mosh pit and head banged with the teenagers to Brett’s band.  She sang every word.  She screamed ENCORE! She was so proud of him for becoming what he wanted to be.  She came to every school concert and volunteered at field day. She went to every lunch with a loved one.  She took him to appointments, and play dates, and taught him what unconditional love and support was.

On November 15th 2021, her grandson Dennis was born.  I don’t think I can ever describe in words what kind of grandmother this woman was.  Dennis only got 3 years with her, but he loved her and she him, with all of their hearts.  They were inseparable. When she would come home from work Dennis would scream “GOO’S HOME!!!” They would both tell you that they were each other’s best friend.  Her joy in life was bringing her babies little treats. Dennis had sleepovers in Goo’s room 5-6 nights per week. Dennis is as smart as he is because of her.  She taught him colors, letters, numbers, math, and they were working on reading. She would sit and watch the most ridiculous shows with him for as long as he wanted to.  She taught him to sing songs and memorize the words. They would watch “crazy animal videos” and laugh louder and harder than anything I have ever heard almost every night. Their relationship was beautiful.

When Eric and I got married, the Rezendes family took her on as their own.  When she moved in with us six months into our marriage, it was never a question to Eric.  She was just a part of the family now. She loved Eric as her son. He gave her so many nicknames and they shared their love of old movies, TV and music. Eric loved her stories and she loved to tell them.  Most of all he loved her love of our sons. She was at every holiday and family event, and if she wasn’t there we always got the question, “where’s Goo?”  She loved Eric’s family as if they were her own.  They were her family and she was theirs.  She felt loved and welcome.  Mary & Dan, Lisa and Doug, Adam & Brandie, Courtney & AJ, Douglas, Leah, Andy and Bob.

My mom worked at a few places through the years where she met countless friends.  Everyone that knew my mother loved her.  I do not believe that I could find a person who has known her that would say they didn’t like her.  Going through her things in her room I have found letters and notes from coworkers expressing how much she meant to them.  She made their workdays fun.  She was wild and outspoken and raunchy and funny and deeply kind.  She loved without judgment. She loved without conditions. Everyone she met was a friend. She had the best stories and she was reliable and hard working.  If there was a problem, she found the solution. She was good at everything. She wouldn’t tell you that.  She was the master of self-deprecation. She would tell you she was bad at everything, but she excelled at everything she ever did. I admired her so much for that.  I learned my work ethic from her. She would tell you that she hated going to work, but she excelled when she was being support and love to people and she did that everywhere she went.

My mommy always found the good in people.  Even if someone wronged her she could look deeper and taught me that everyone is going through something. The hurt they bring to you is some hurt inside them that they can’t hold in their bodies anymore, so they give some to you to hold for them. You can distance yourself from it to protect yourself, but love them through it anyway. She was the strongest woman I have ever known. She taught me and my babies resilience and unconditional love. She was compassion and empathy and pure light.

My beautiful mother is survived by me, her daughter, Brandi Rezendes (Leggett) and my husband Eric. Her grandsons Brett Malcolm & Dennis Rezendes. Her sister Laura Nelson (Leggett) and nieces Ashley and Emily Nelson. Her sister and brother-in-law Rhonda (Leggett) and Brian Cantrell and their children Katie (Cantrell) & Paulo Plaza, and Corey & Sarah Cantrell and their children Piper and Lincoln.

She is preceded in death by her parents Barbara and Bill.

We will be having a celebration of life at Crossview Church 150 E Bethany Rd, DeKalb, IL on Saturday September 27th from 3-6pm.  This is a casual.  If you knew Pam, you knew she liked to keep is casual with her jeans and her best band t-shirt, so please, wear your band t-shirts. If you knew my mom, you have a story to tell about her.  I want to keep her alive for my babies, so please, in lieu of flowers, bring your stories.  We want to hear how Pam loved you. Everyone is invited to help us celebrate her beautiful life.

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