Iroquois and Holland Field Hockey Teams Come Together to Honor the Memory of Pam Reed

Holland field hockey’s Alicia Schroeder will never forget the sight of her great aunt, Pam Reed, swooshing down the water slide.

Having the time of her life, her childlike carefree laughter booming in the ears of her loved ones.

“It was definitely carefree,” Schroeder said with a smile. “She was awesome.”

Schroeder isn’t the only one who thought Pam Reed was awesome.

In April, Reed, who was a cherished member of the Iroquois field hockey program, lost her two year battle against lung cancer just weeks after her 66th birthday.

Iroquois and Holland came together during their game this evening to honor Reed’s memory.

Pam Reed served as a bus driver in Iroquois Central School District for 32 years. While she loved all of the kids on her route, Pam had a special place in her heart for the Lady Chiefs field hockey team; she spent many years as the team bus driver.

However, she was so much more. Pam Reed was the ultimate team grandma and fan.

“Even if it was a home game she’d stop over and watch as much of the game as she could before she had to get home,” said Pam’s daughter, Denise Reed, who serves on the Iroquois coaching staff.

“Some former players have reached out and said that my mom’s voice was so distinctive…she was always everyone’s biggest fan whether she had a daughter on the field or not.”

Pam and her husband, the late Rick Reed, had seven kids. Denise said she often marveled at how her mom kept their sports oriented family moving like a well-oiled machine.

The Iroquois/Holland game was already on the schedule for several months. It was Pam’s niece, Alicia Schroeder (one of Holland’s captains) who set the wheels in motion to use this game as an opportunity to say thank you to a person who touched so many lives for the better.

“Even when I was young she was always the one to offer to make my Easter dresses every year,” Schroeder said. “She was one of my closest aunts. I’d spend the summers at her house and her children would watch me, and she’d take me to Darien Lake.”

Those who knew Pam Reed would tell you she had a heart as big as the outdoors.

Possessing a creative eye, whether it was a patch sewn on the uniform skirt or a quilt for one of her nine grandkids or countless nieces and nephews, Pam poured her love into every stitch.

The past five months have been challenging for Denise Reed as she has tried to come to grips with losing her biggest role model. But the never ending support she and her family have received from friends and neighbors has helped her find peace at heart and of mind. “For the community to honor her, it’s so nice,” Denise said, as she paused to compose herself.

Describing Pam as the type of person who would give the shirt off her back to someone in need, Alicia Schroeder said her aunt Pam’s kindness and loving heart have inspired her to be a better person.  To do good. Not for a pat on the back, but because it’s simply the right thing to do.

“That’s exactly how she was,” Schroeder said. “She was so humble.”

As of Thursday over 100 commemorative game t-shirts had been sold. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Roswell Park in Pam Reed’s name.

Hardly a day goes by when Denise Reed doesn’t cross paths with someone who tells her a moving story about how her mom impacted their life.

Those are the moments when the void in her heart is filled with pride.

“It’s a testament to my mom and how many lives she touched,” Reed said.