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Pamela Kay Bellas, 66, resident of Dublin, Ohio, died on November 18, 2022 in Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio after a brief illness related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s Disease.
Pam was utterly unique, and like all of us, irreplaceable. Pam had the best sense of enjoying the finer things in life and surrounded herself with the things that brought her pleasure. She loved to cook, read, travel, shop, and entertain; she created a life that she fully enjoyed and represents a life well lived.
Born June 18, 1956 in Sewickley, PA, she was a daughter of the late Harry and Catherine (Minnici) Bellas. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by aunts and uncles, James and Joyce (Bellas) Pappas, Mary (Bellas) Bungas, Joseph and Mary Minnici, Philip Minnici, Carl and Louise (Minnici) Bartoles and Dominic Minnici.
Pam’s life was dedicated to her work, orthodox faith, Greek heritage, family and friends, and her two precious Havanese fur babies, Max and Luna.
Pam grew up in Harmony Township, PA was a 1974 graduate of Ambridge Area High School. She attended Duquesne University School of Pharmacy and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1979. With her degree, her intellect, and her outgoing personality, Pam began a successful career that would span decades in the pharmaceutical industry. After several years in retail pharmacy and at a home infusion pharmacy start-up, Pam found her calling in pharmaceutical sales. She joined Merck & Company Inc. in 1996 and moved to the Columbus area, where she has lived and worked for the past 25+ years. Pam’s professional achievements at Merck were many, including induction into the Merck Hall of Fame, recipient of the Director’s Award, five-time Vice President’s Club Award recipient, and many other regional, district and team awards related to her leadership, sales performance, and team collaboration. She received recognition from Merck in 2020 as the top national sales performer for one of her products. At the time of her death, she was employed full time as the Executive Acute Care Hospital Representative managing accounts in Columbus and surrounding areas.
Pam was a member of The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Columbus, Ohio, where she was active within the church as a member of the Ladies Philoptochos and volunteered at the annual Greek Food Festivals. She was also a member of the Greek Olympic Society of Columbus and was serving as the organization’s vice president.
Pam was an active volunteer in her community, raising funds and volunteering at the Star House drop-in center for homeless youth and as a rider, volunteer, and challenger at the Pelotonia, an event that raises funds for cancer research at the James Cancer Research Hospital.
Pam is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Bernadette (Rozman) Bellas and their son, Bret M. Powner Jr. and his finance, Katelyn Rusnak, Baden. In addition, she is survived by an aunt, Antonia Minnici (Melbourne, FL) and an uncle, John Bungas, Sr. (Ambridge, PA).
Pam was blessed with many amazing and loyal friendships, some lifelong and others more recent, and too many to name. Regardless of how long you knew Pam, you knew that she was someone special. Her numerous cousins, friends, neighbors, and Merck colleagues will miss her quick wit, funny stories, and her presence at every one of the joyful and sad occasions that lie ahead.
Friends will be received on Sunday, November 20, 2022 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the O. R. Woodyard Co. Funeral & CreMation Services – Northwest Chapel located at 2990 Bethel Road; Columbus (Dublin), Ohio. A Trisagion service will be offered at 7:00 p.m. by Fr. Demetrios Gardikes, the Cathedral Dean of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
The family will also welcome friends on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at BOHN-MATICH FUNERAL HOME INC., 1099 Maplewood Ave., Ambridge, PA from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. A Trisagion service will be offered at 3:00 p.m. by Fr. Anastasios Athanasiou, Presiding Priest of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
Additional viewing will be held at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 23 until time of funeral service at 10:00 a.m. in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 2930 Beaver Road; Ambridge, PA. Interment will follow in Economy Cemetery.
The family welcomes donations to the Greek Orthodox church as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to either Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 2930 Beaver Road; Ambridge, PA 15003, or Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 555 High Street; Columbus, OH 43215. Condolences may be sent to Pam’s family at 1075 Franklin Avenue; Baden, PA 15005.
The family would like to thank the neurologists, hospital doctors and nurses, social workers, and many others in the palliative care and hospice care units at Grant Medical Center and Dublin Methodist Hospital for their care of Pam during her short and devasting illness.
The O. R. WOODYARD CO. FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES – NORTHWEST CHAPEL and BOHN-MATICH FUNERAL HOME INC. were entrusted with these final arrangements.
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