April 14, 1956 - December 15, 2017

It is with great sadness that the family of Pamela Joy Bales announces her passing on Friday, December 15, 2017, at the age of 61 in Oklahoma City, OK. 

Pam is survived by many who loved her: William “Bill” Bales Jr., her husband of 39 years; Brandon Bales, her son who inherited her independent nature, gift of gab, and love of all things “tech”; Logan Bayles, her daughter who inherited her defiant determination to achieve whatever it was she was told she couldn’t; and many nieces and nephews.  Logan married Todd Bayles (no, that’s not a typo) and in 2016 they had Pam’s only grandson, Gareth, who she called her “love-bug”.  At the time of his birth she was well enough to be a huge help to the new parents and form a strong bond in those first few weeks. He was the joy of her life and the fuel for her fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  She survived longer than anyone thought was possible.  Pam’s fight was not selfish, but out of love for her family and, in particular, her grandson, Gareth. Although we will all miss Pam very much, what truly saddens our hearts is that Gareth will not have any firsthand memories of his Gram-Pam… and instead of simply missing her, he will be profoundly missing-out.

Pam was born on April 14, 1956 in Norman, Oklahoma to Kenneth and Jo Ann Canant.  She graduated from Norman High School in 1974 and went on to the University of Oklahoma.  She graduated from St. Anthony School of Nursing and passed her boards on March 26, 1980.  Her nursing background and knowledge was always a source of pride she carried throughout her diverse career, which included time at Oklahoma Blood Institute, Oklahoma Allergy Clinic, Deaconess Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Baptist Hospital as a case manager, Apria Home Health, Samaritan Home Health, Option Care as home health antibiotic infusion rep…. to name a few!  On July 18, 1978 she married Bill Bales.  After almost 6 years of traveling, establishing careers, and being young and in love, they welcomed their son, Brandon, into the world on April 24, 1984 and followed that up by welcoming their daughter, Logan, on July 14, 1986.  In the early 2000’s Pam began cultivating her love of photography into a serious hobby.  Although she never took a single photography class, she was truly talented.  As was the case with the rest of her life, she focused her art on people.  She specialized in family portraits, graduation photos, and was especially good at newborn photos.  Her pictures capture the emotion of that moment and are prominently displayed in many homes.  Amongst her close family, her beautiful work covers the walls of each of our homes… and in that way she will continue to be with us and bless us each day.

Pam was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth H. Canant, mother, Jo Ann Canant, nee Craig, and her younger brother, Craig Canant.

A funeral service in memory of Pam will be held on Tuesday, December 19th at 10:30 a.m., at Mercer-Adams Funeral Home, 3925 N. Asbury Ave, Bethany, OK 73008.

Viewing of the body will be a day earlier on Monday December 18th with family in attendance from 4-6 pm.  Pam’s ashes will be laid to rest in Resurrection Memorial Cemetery at a later date. We ask that those who so desire, in lieu of flowers, make donations in memory of Pam to the American Cancer Society

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