Pamela Sue (Thomas) Buchanan
Site staff
Pamela Sue Buchanan, age 70, passed away on January 20, 2021 unexpectedly at home.
She was born on December 17, 1950 to parents Robert and Suzanne (Rowley) Thomas in Madison, WI. Pam graduated from Waunakee High School in 1969 and went on to attend St. Mary’s School of Nursing. Her life’s work was nursing. It started as a nurse’s aid transitioning to a registered nurse in Baraboo, WI and retiring after a 37-year career as a UW Operating Room nurse. Her career expanded across all services but especially Plastics and General surgery.
Pam possessed the ambition and grit to perform many managerial roles in the department she loved. Her passion in this work led to a Mission trip in Ecuador helping children with facial deformities obtain normal appearance and cultural acceptance. Her call to nursing always had the patient at the center of her focus. Pam paid attention to every detail for each and every patient she cared for. Giving comfort to the scared, she would hold their hand as they drifted to sleep under the anesthetics for surgery. Pam was Union strong. She, with her young daughters, were on the picket line during the Strike in the early 1980s. She fought hard for both patient and workplace safety. No one who knew her will ever forget her presence and wit. Pam ruled a professional poise with a deep compassion for the vulnerable.