Pamela Waechter: 1947-2006: Friends remember 'heroic life of helping others'

Pamela Waechter converted to Judaism when she married four decades ago. Friday, she died for the faith she chose, struck down by a gunman angry at Israel.

Waechter, 58, was killed in a shooting spree at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, in which five others were wounded.


	Waechter

Today, those whose lives she touched and those who came to know her only after she was killed will gather to remember her. Her funeral is at 1 p.m. at Temple B'Nai Torah in Bellevue, where Waechter was a congregation member for about 30 years.

Waechter, of Bellevue, was the Jewish Federation's annual campaign director.

David Martens, a family friend, knew Waechter for decades. "Everybody is in shock," he said. "People are just kind of in motion to try to make it through the day."

Rabbi James Mirel of Temple B'Nai Torah said Waechter's death is a loss to the entire Jewish community, not just his congregation. "It's hard for us to understand, but this is so far past the Seattle community," he said. "It reverberates throughout the entire world."

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Waechter's memory will serve as a reminder for the rest of the community to carry on, Mirel said. "I think of her as an inspiration," he said. "I know there will not be a day for the rest of my life I will not think of her."

Barby Cohen lived near Waechter on Mercer Island for 22 years. To Cohen, Waechter was more than a leader in the Jewish community. She was "a good girlfriend."

Cohen attended a meeting with Mirel Sunday morning to talk about Waechter's life, and she said it made her think about things about her friend that aren't being talked about as much.

"People are so much concentrating on how successful she had been in her life, continually learning and challenging herself," Cohen said. "That made her a wonderful role model, but she was also just a wonderful friend and a mother who cared about her children."

Waechter had a wide range of interests outside of work, including cooking, reading, dance and travel, Cohen said. The two attended the theater together often.

"When it wasn't a professional situation, she talked about work if you asked, but that wasn't all she talked about," Cohen said.

Still, public service and Waechter's personal life often did go hand in hand, Cohen said.

Martens said Waechter was raised a Protestant in Minneapolis. She converted to Judaism after she got married. "That was one of the turning points in her life," he said. She remained active in the Jewish faith even after she got divorced.

Martens said Waechter "had a heroic life of helping others." But it's Waechter's sense of humor that he remembers now.

"She had this great droll wit," he said. "She was just a lovely, beautiful women."

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