Pamela Sue Barrett (née Plese)

April 6, 1945 – January 27, 2025

Pam went to her reward on January 27, 2025 of Ischemic cardiomyopathy. She is survived by her brother, Rod V. Plese, her children, Bill Robinson and Annmarie Rose; grandchildren Jillian Rose and Elias White; her husband Dick's children Ken Barrett and Janet Chavez, grandchildren Carla Larsen and Douglas Chavez, and her brother's five children and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, Victor and Alverna Plese; and in 2021, her husband Richard H. "Dick" Barrett.

Born in Spokane on April 6, 1945, Pam graduated from Holy Names Academy in 1963 and attended Spokane Community College. Over the next 30 years, Pam worked in real estate, retail management, hotel account sales, and governmental relations for various industries. Pam was manager of the Inland Empire Apartment Association in the early 1970's, where she gained valuable experience working with elected officials and championing small business. Pam also served as manager of the Spokane Board of Realtors, where she and Dick were instrumental in bringing the SBR and the Multiple Listing Service under one roof – and into the computer age (before most people had seen a computer). Pam chaired the mayor's committee for revising fire codes and served on subcommittees for the Spokane Planning Commission. Pam went on to serve as a lobbyist for groups as diverse as the Northwest Mining Association, Seattle Police Officers Guild, Washington Association of Realtors, Sheraton Hotels, and the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers where she helped shape local, state, and regional governmental policies and laws.

In 1979, Pam put lobbying on hold to manage her husband's campaign for the first of three terms in the Washington State House of Representatives. Between election cycles, Pam collaborated with Dick to manage their constituent's issues. In 1986 Pam resumed her career as a lobbyist, opening Barrett & Associates, a lobbying and association management firm in Olympia, again focusing her work in the field of real property interests. During this time, Pam would also purchase and operate a printing company.

In 1994, Pam and Dick retired - but not before they noticed a part-time opportunity managing a small condominium complex on the shores of Kihei, Hawaii. Moving to Kihei provided more time to volunteer and serve the poor through their beloved Catholic Church. Together with Dick, Pam cooked and served their parish's "Thursday's Dinner" to an average of 120 homeless persons for five years. In 2000, Pam returned to Spokane to be closer to family, where she continued to feed the hungry through her work with the St. Vincent DePaul Society, volunteer for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, and evangelize her faith. Pam knew that she was just as lost as anyone without God's grace and strived to be a better person every day. Having lost her own mother when she was just 25 years old, Pam had a special admiration for the Blessed Mother and had very fond memories of her pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 1987 with her father and brother the year before her father passed at age 71. As sad as we are at her sudden passing, we know she is at peace.