Beloved wife dies after 72 years of marriage
Her husband sat at her bedside every moment for nearly six weeks before her death – his heart will never mend.
Pam Greyvenstein, resident of Krugersdorp and Randfontein for more than 73 years, died peacefully at the age of 90 in her new home in Rustenburg on 25 June, after a short illness. She was surrounded by her family.
George, Pam’s husband, sat at her bedside for every waking moment for nearly six weeks while their daughter nursed her.
“He held her hand, kissing her and telling her how much he loved her,” said Cheryl Phillips, Pam’s daughter.
Cheryl believes her parents were living examples of the wedding vow ‘For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health’.
Photo: Submitted.
“They experienced all of the above, but stayed together through it all. They were totally devoted to each other. No matter what decision one of them came to – even if it was really silly or irrational, or if one of the children felt that we were being treated unfairly – which we occasionally were – my parents always backed each other up.”
She said her father is devastated by the death of his wife of 72 years.
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He recently fell and hurt himself quite badly. Cheryl has put him in bed and given him painkillers, and said that there were luckily no broken bones.
“… his heart however, I’m sure, will never mend.”
She said that she could not even bear to ask him what he will miss the most about his wife, but her brother described it beautifully by saying that every room feels like a vacuum, like it has no presence any more.
Cheryl said that her mother was incredibly tough. “She always told everyone that they shouldn’t worry about her – ‘I’m a tough old bird’, she said.”
“I think that there were many times that she said it but did not really feel very tough. When she was upset with you, she would always say ‘not to worry’. Then you just knew that it was time to start worrying.”
She started her adult life as a nurse, but after breaking her back and recovering from it, she started gardening and opened a florist shop in Randfontein.
She spent the last 25 years working in her garden, doing wood-carving, enjoying her grandchildren and working at church fundraisers while she was still mobile. In December, she suffered the first of five strokes, each one more severe than the last.
She is survived by her husband, two sons and a daughter, three grandchildren and one great-grandson. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her, especially George.
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