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Pamela Kay Duran, of Pilot Point, TX, died on Monday, June 19, 2023, after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. She was 67. Pam was born on November 11, 1955, to Albert and Lavon (Cotton) Wilson in Wichita Falls, TX. The first child of four, she and her family traveled throughout the United States at various Air Force Installations due to her father’s military career. She gained her love of music from her mother and her sweet tooth from her father. She attended both Western Hills and North Side High Schools and married at the young age of seventeen. She longed for a child but unfortunately was unable to conceive due to a hysterectomy necessary to overcome cancer. However, her no-quit attitude and love for children was granted in March 1984 when she adopted Christin Daneen. She named her in honor of her love for her savior “Christ-In” often saying that while she didn’t grow under her heart but within it. Pam was gifted at an early age, most notably, with her pleasant nature and ability to sell anything. She could literally sell “ice to an Eskimo” often reminiscing of her many endeavors starting at eight years old with school activities. She often got into trouble at school for talking at inappropriate times and this became a recurring theme throughout her life. She turned her passion towards music learning tenor saxophone in middle school. She marched proudly in a small-town high school band in Lubbock, TX. Pam was gifted with an innate ability to learn complex things easily. Her mother taught her how to sew at fourteen years old. While others sewed a patch for their school project she designed and sewed an entire suit for her father which he proudly modeled. This eventually led to a successful “Sage-in-Bloom” corporation that she owned in the 1980s. She declined a six-figure salary with a New York penthouse suite in 1980 by fashion designer Ralph Lauren. She called Texas her home and couldn’t see herself fitting in as a socialite. She earned Upcoming Designer of the Year in 1983 given personally by Ralph Lauren. Yet, the celebrity status never affected her ego. She never considered herself as better than any other person. Throughout her various careers she has met and designed clothing for numerous celebrities such as Roger Staubach, Charlie Pride, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steven Seagal. She once designed and made a model “Good-Year Blimp” lamp to go over a pool table for Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears. She and her niece were then invited with several of the team players to fly to Las Vegas where she was toasted by Dick Butkus, “Great Taste, Less Filling”, before every Miller Lite beer the group drank. Her husband, Joe, was skeptical upon hearing this story and was surprised at his 50th birthday when eight signed footballs from Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, and the entire defensive secondary players arrived in the mail. She called Roger Staubach as well, who sent a signed football along with one from Emmitt Smith. She was relentless in pulling for the “little guy” refusing to go along to get along. Pam was self-taught on piano when she got the urge to learn. The complexity of this instrument can only be understood by fellow musicians. She was modest in all her endeavors, never giving herself praise yet glad to have others take center stage. In 1998, Pam met Joseph “Joe” Duran and the two became inseparable. Their shared love of faith, family, and friends became their mantra. They married on June 23, 1998, and just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last month. She was elated that her family grew extensively and was welcomed with open arms. She loved all her children equally, taking care to learn their passions and go to great lengths to make them happen. She adored going out with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren when she could. They were the light of her life. She always had a smile and candy for them and gave each one a special nickname. When she could no longer go, she loved holding them. Pictures of them would always make her day. Pam loved to fish, and teaching others how to bait, hook, and catch them. She was not squeamish when it came to getting dirty if it included some time of fun. A favorite story she often told was when her younger brother Dean told her to go into the pasture and herd cattle to get them to come eat. She grabbed onto the tail of a calf, and it took her for a ride through the pasture covering her in manure. All the while Dean was doubled over laughing as her once pristine “white Rockies” were a mess. He then took out a bucket and shook it and all of them came running towards him. Another moment that Joe and Pam shared was during a visit to Juarez, Mexico in 2001. A torrential rain left the streets completely flooded in a matter of minutes. Everyone was soaked yet Pam just smiled as the group waded through filthy waters carrying the days wares and shoes on their heads. While she could “dress to the nines” as she said – she was a force to be reckoned with and relentless in any pursuit she set her mind to. Pam had a passion for her Christian faith and never wavered from seeking the good in everyone. She did not come from a family with a religious background. Yet, when asked to attend a Baptist service at age nine she found the true love of her life in Jesus Christ. She never met a stranger and could talk about any subject: automotive mechanics, structural design, drywall, music, dance, fashion/design, decorating, drywall, remodeling, wedding planning, dance, sewing, and old movies. She loved to dance and won a clogging contest with sorority sisters in the 1980s. and taught her husband how to do both two step and a step and a half. She never had a sweet taste she didn’t like just like her father. Sadly, she lost her teeth at age 60 but would wear her dentures modestly when she felt like it. Most of all she loved her Coca-Cola from dusk until dawn. Pam suffered from the debilitating effects of Multiple Sclerosis but would layer herself in Tiger Balm and struggle continually just to breathe at times. She was truly unique with the diversity of talent, life skills and passion for doing things differently. Pamela K “watch me I can” was her battle-cry when confronted with a challenge. She was a force to be reckoned with and a fighter to the very end. Her heart stopped three times, surviving a two-hour surgery and departed her life when she was good and ready. Heaven has truly gained an angel and earth will miss a “one-of-a-kind” beauty both inside and out. Pam is survived by her husband, Joe of Pilot Point, TX; two sons, Daniel Duran of Pilot Point, TX and Christopher Garrett of Springtown, TX; two daughters, Christin Denham and husband Shane of Fort Worth, TX and Aleda Duran and significant other, Josh Slaton of Burleson, TX; six grandchildren, Taylor Tijerina and husband Albert, Caeden Yarbrough, Jaxon Denham, Trinity Slaton, Samuel Slaton, and Max Slaton; two great-grandchildren, Ava and Rowen; two brothers, Dean Durant and wife Carla of Albuquerque, NM and Eric Wilson of Lometa, TX. She was preceded in death by parents, Albert and Lavon; and brother, Phillip Wilson. The commemoration of Pam's life will begin Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 4:00pm for family and close friends at Slay Memorial Chapel of Aubrey, TX. Please respect our wishes that others attend visitation being held 6:00-8:00pm. The Rosary will begin at 6:30pm. She will be in repose also on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 9:00-9:30am prior to proceeding to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Pilot Point, TX for a Mass of Christian Burial beginning at 10:00am. Interment will follow at St. Thomas Cemetery in Pilot Point. The family has requested that in lieu of gifts, donations in Pam’s honor be made to the charity both Pam and Joe supported throughout their marriage – Unbound, whose mission is to address the hardships of families in need due to poverty (https://www.unbound.org/donate/general-donation). Online condolences may be shared at www.slaymemorialfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Bradley R. Shotts and Slay Memorial Funeral Center.

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Pamela Kay Duran

November 11, 1955 - June 19, 2023