Pamela Van Wagenen, nee Gdowski, 63, of Chicago and formerly of Elgin; wife of the late Mark; mom of Amy; daughter of the late Anthony and Stephanie Gdowski; granddaughter of the late Peter and Anna Gdowski and Anna and Albert Strzalka; cousin of many. Pam VanWagenen was born and raised in the great city of Chicago, IL. She loved sitting in the bleachers at the Cubs’ games and having weekly dinners with her family. Pam grew up to be quick witted, adventurous and independent. Soon she was off to college at Northern Illinois University where she found her soulmate Mark. It was truly love at first sight. He walked into her art appreciation class in overalls and Pam said, “If that boy sits next to me, we’re going to get married.” He sat right next to her and the rest is history! They got married shortly after college and soon were off on their new adventures of marriage and their careers. Pam quickly became an international business woman at Motorola and was chosen to travel the world to give presentations and help their partners all over the world. London, Hong Kong, Australia and Japan among many others were soon added to her passport. Being a successful business woman was something Pam celebrated with great pride. What she was most proud of though was being an awesome mom. Pam raised her daughter Amy with so much love. She attended every dance competition and recital Amy was at whether she was dancing, teaching or coaching. She pushed her to be her best and supported her every step of the way. To know Pam was to love her. She had a contagious smile, a bubbly laugh and never showed up anywhere without some delicious homemade food! Pam was a vocal advocate for women’s rights, she loved the Chicago Cubs, adored her “fur children” Maxwell and Millie and was a proud “foodie.” Pam’s faith was at the center of her life. She recently got even more involved in her church at St. Hubert’s by writing petitions and lecturing. She reached out to many to make everyone’s lives around her better. She left this world better than she found it. Memorial visitation Monday, November 16th, 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory 1640 S. Greenmeadows Blvd. (at Barrington Rd.) Streamwood. Services will be private. Cremation private at the Countryside Crematory. In lieu of flowers donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.