Pam Albers spent only a short time on the Avalon City Council, yet she spent a lifetime serving the community and the people with whom she shared her life. Albers passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, leaving the Catalina community stunned and saddened.
“She was a powerful part of our island family,” friend Janie Hall said of Albers during Monday’s City Council meeting, which was simply a brief memorial for Albers.
Albers, 62, had been battling cancer, though the actual cause of her death is not yet known. Prior to being elected to the Avalon City Council, Albers had served as the city attorney for 21 years. Friends spoke of her glowingly, noting that she had dabbled in theater and was a talented singer and actress. She could sew and was also a chef and had owned her own café.
“I knew no one like her,” friend and colleague Mayor Anni Marshall said.
With all her talents, Marshall noted that what seemed to drive Albers most was her desire to be an advocate for women’s rights and environmental issues. She described Albers as unselfish and giving. Albers could evaluate an issue from many sides, Marshall said.
“She was very learned,” Marshall said. “She was very pragmatic. She was very realistic.”
Despite her cancer diagnosis, Albers continued to work hard on the issues she believed in. In a release from the city Albers was described as a “passionate public servant.”
She was noted for her work in fresh water sustainability on the island. Jim Luttjohann, president of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, had once worked with Albers on the water committee and praised her knowledge of the issue.
“She was brilliant in that regard,” Luttjohann said. “I think it’s a terrible shame,” Luttjohann said of her passing.
Albers was also integral on expanding the City’s polystyrene, plastic bag and straw bans, it was noted in the city’s statement. She also worked toward goals of preserving the island’s historical and cultural heritage, securing the city’s financial future and getting citizens more involved in community decision making.
“You could never tell how sick she was because she kept persevering,” Marshall said.
Albers had been fighting cancer — Albers herself used the term “living with cancer” at a previous council meeting — for some time. Not only did Albers persevere, she thrived.
Albers had worked for numerous non-profits. She had on the boards for the Catalina Art Association and the Catalina Island Women’s Forum, on which she also served as president. Albers was also previously voted as the Avalon Rotary Person of the Year.
Michael Ponce, a former council member who knew Albers when she was the attorney for Catalina Island Medical Center and he was a board member, said Albers once played his wife in a musical. Ponce didn’t attend Tuesday’s council meeting but described the memorial as “perfect.”
Marshall noted during the memorial meeting that Albers herself would have likely objected to not getting work done.
“I can imagine Pam saying, ‘What the hell are you doing? We have a lot of business to attend to; I’ve got to ask Rob about that chair life, and we’ve got to figure out what’s going on,’ so, sorry, Pam, but we love you that much that we’re not going to do business today.”
Speaking of the time he worked with her—both before and after he became a council member—Michael Ponce said, “I always enjoyed working with her.”
Ponce said that the bottom line was that Albers was always looking out for the community, even when some members of the community accused her of being the “sixth council member.”
The meeting was dedicated to the memory of Albers, and to local man Alfonso Casillas, who also passed away recently.
The following day, Marshall said, “She was one of the most intelligent women I ever met in my life. I think she did everything in life she wanted to do.”
