Pamela Martinson
1950 ~ 2018
Pamela Martinson passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends on Saturday, November 17, 2018. Born June 2, 1950, in San Francisco, California to Donald O. and Donna C. Martinson, this beautiful baby girl with a shock of dark brown hair was the oldest of the Martinson children. At a young age, Pamela's family moved to Salt Lake City, where she attended school, graduating from East High in 1968. She then attended the University of Utah where she affiliated with Alpha Chi Omega sorority and met many of her closest, life-long friends. Pamela graduated with a bachelor's degree in linguistics, continuing on to earn her master's degree in linguistics from the University of Utah. These accomplishments were emblematic of Pamela's lifelong fascination with the power and beauty of language. At age 39, Pamela returned to the University of Utah Law School, where she became editor of the Utah Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif in 1992.
While an undergraduate at the U of U, Pamela met and married Buzz Hunt, the father of her only child, Elisabeth Hunt, born in 1979. From that point forward, Pamela and Elisabeth were as close as a parent and child could be and remained each other's best friends throughout her life. Later, Pamela and Buzz divorced. While pursuing her interests in law, Pamela met and married John Anderson. The two shared many mutual interests and adventures. They later divorced but remained close and loving friends. A few years later, while pursuing her interests in international travel, Pamela met and married Colin Patten, a kind and gentle man from Edinburgh, Scotland. The two shared a love of travel, and often went to a retreat they loved in Nova Scotia.
Pamela pursued a variety of professional interests throughout her life. She was always interested in politics and was a human rights advocate. Immediately upon graduating the University of Utah College of Law, Pamela was appointed to the prestigious position as law clerk for Judge Stephen H. Anderson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Court. Following her federal clerkship, she assumed private practice as an attorney for the law firm Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy, after which she became full time legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. She also pursued other interests in addition to law. Her considerable skills in public relations and fundraising led her to take the position of Director of Development for the US Ski Team in Park City, Utah. 
Later, Pamela, with her daughter Elisabeth, moved to Boston, Massachusetts, one of her favorite cities in the world. There she pursued various positions in public relations and legal services. Pamela was a beautiful fun-loving person with an engagingly spontaneous personality, and great sense of humor, which always made for fast friends wherever she went and whatever she did. She thrived in the culturally rich and intellectual climate of Boston but later left to return to Salt Lake City in order to be closer to her mother Donna and her daughter Elisabeth who had returned there a year earlier.
Pamela was a lover of animals and seemed to always have a couple of dogs or cats in her household. Pamela was always engaged in a variety of art projects, including knitting, crochet, needlepoint, quilting, jewelry making, and origami, among others, all for which she had considerable skill. Pamela also loved playing word games, where she utilized her linguistic prowess to be an unbeatable champion of Scrabble and Words with Friends. 
Pamela is preceded in death by her parents, Donald Owen Martinson and Donna Curtis Martinson, her husband Colin Patten, and siblings Nancy Martinson and James Martinson. She is survived by her daughter Elisabeth Hunt, and siblings Jon Martinson, Dana Mariea, and Donald Martinson Jr., as well as many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Pamela's family wants to express their sincere appreciation for the loving and kind caregivers and staff of Silverado Aspen Park Memory Care Community. Memorial service will be planned for the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making donations to Best Friends Animal Society or the Alzheimer's Association.

Published in Deseret News on Dec. 2, 2018

Published in Deseret News on Dec. 2, 2018