Official Obituary of
Pamela Cragin Fritz
December 14, 1946 ~ November 22, 2018 (age 71) 71 Years Old
Pamela Fritz Obituary
Pamela Cragin Fritz, 71, of Bethlehem, PA, was received by the Lord, Thursday, November 22, 2018, surrounded by her loving family and while in the care of the St. Luke's Hospice House, Bethlehem. She was the wife of Richard H. Fritz, with whom she shared 39 years of loving marriage and the mother of Michael A. and Matthew R. Surabian.?Born in Portland, ME, she was the daughter of the late Lt. Col. Robert?Payson and Judith Proctor Cragin.
Pamela was an Air Force "brat," travelling to and living in many countries around the world before she was 18. Alongside her mother, she was present and witnessed the Queen of England's coronation?in 1953. She graduated from the Air Force Base High School in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1964 and attended Arizona State University.
In the early 1970s, Pamela honed her myriad talents in a number of fields, including onstage with CAS/West theater ensemble, through voiceover on radio commercials and on records narrating children's stories. These skills led her into a career in public relations.
In 1976, she became the Director of Public Relations for the Arizona State Fair and the Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, which hosted three professional sports franchises. There she met Richard, and in 1979, they married. That same year, along with her two young sons, the four relocated to Bethlehem, PA. From the early ‘80s until her retirement in 2007, Pamela held a number of positions with Kravco Simon Company, including Regional Property Manager and General Manager of both Lehigh Valley and Montgomery Malls. In 2004, she was named the company's Manager of the Year. In 1994, she joined the AAA East Penn Region Board of Directors, where she served as Chairman from 2010 to 2012, the first woman to hold the position; and was on the East Central Governing Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015.
And yet, even with significant professional accomplishments, she never lost sight of what was most important to her: her sons. She always said that raising Michael and Matthew was, by far, the best thing she ever did. Before work/life balance became trendy, she was often dashing out of work early to see a soccer match or theatre production, encouraging them in both successes and defeats.
Pamela was an eternal optimist, had a wonderful and good-natured sense of humor and was always generous with her time. It was her second nature to make strangers feel like friends and friends feel like family. She was a voracious reader, enjoyed frequent trips with Richard to New England and loved spending time playing with, reading to and falling asleep next to her two beautiful granddaughters.
She and Richard attended and were members of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, PCUSA.
SURVIVORS: In addition to her husband, Richard, she is survived by two sons, Michael A. Surabian and his husband, Gregory Schmidt, of New York, NY; and Matthew R. Surabian, his wife, Kimberly, and their beloved daughters, Sarah Katherine Surabian and Caroline Cragin Surabian of Milltown, NJ; and two brothers, Lt. Col. (retired) Maurice A.?Coleman Jr. and his wife, Frances (deceased), of Apple Valley, CA; and Robert P. Cragin Jr. and his wife, Maureen, of Colorado Springs, CO.
The family is extremely grateful to the staff of St. Luke's Hospital and Hospice House for their loving care and personal respect for Pamela and her family for the last two and a half years.
?SERVICES: A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Cantelmi Long Funeral Home, 500 Linden Street, Bethlehem. The family will receive relatives and friends at 11:00am prior to the service, which will begin at 12:30pm. A memory tribute may be placed at?www.cantelmifuneralhome.com. Burial will be private at the convenience of the family.
CONTRIBUTIONS: ??In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Luke's Hospice (Development Office) Fountain Hill, or the American Cancer Society.
500 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA, 18018
500 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA, 18018
Pamela was an Air Force "brat," travelling to and living in many countries around the world before she was 18. Alongside her mother, she was present and witnessed the Queen of England's coronation?in 1953. She graduated from the Air Force Base High School in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1964 and attended Arizona State University.
In the early 1970s, Pamela honed her myriad talents in a number of fields, including onstage with CAS/West theater ensemble, through voiceover on radio commercials and on records narrating children's stories. These skills led her into a career in public relations.
In 1976, she became the Director of Public Relations for the Arizona State Fair and the Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, which hosted three professional sports franchises. There she met Richard, and in 1979, they married. That same year, along with her two young sons, the four relocated to Bethlehem, PA. From the early ‘80s until her retirement in 2007, Pamela held a number of positions with Kravco Simon Company, including Regional Property Manager and General Manager of both Lehigh Valley and Montgomery Malls. In 2004, she was named the company's Manager of the Year. In 1994, she joined the AAA East Penn Region Board of Directors, where she served as Chairman from 2010 to 2012, the first woman to hold the position; and was on the East Central Governing Board of Directors from 2013 to 2015.
And yet, even with significant professional accomplishments, she never lost sight of what was most important to her: her sons. She always said that raising Michael and Matthew was, by far, the best thing she ever did. Before work/life balance became trendy, she was often dashing out of work early to see a soccer match or theatre production, encouraging them in both successes and defeats.
Pamela was an eternal optimist, had a wonderful and good-natured sense of humor and was always generous with her time. It was her second nature to make strangers feel like friends and friends feel like family. She was a voracious reader, enjoyed frequent trips with Richard to New England and loved spending time playing with, reading to and falling asleep next to her two beautiful granddaughters.
She and Richard attended and were members of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, PCUSA.
SURVIVORS: In addition to her husband, Richard, she is survived by two sons, Michael A. Surabian and his husband, Gregory Schmidt, of New York, NY; and Matthew R. Surabian, his wife, Kimberly, and their beloved daughters, Sarah Katherine Surabian and Caroline Cragin Surabian of Milltown, NJ; and two brothers, Lt. Col. (retired) Maurice A.?Coleman Jr. and his wife, Frances (deceased), of Apple Valley, CA; and Robert P. Cragin Jr. and his wife, Maureen, of Colorado Springs, CO.
The family is extremely grateful to the staff of St. Luke's Hospital and Hospice House for their loving care and personal respect for Pamela and her family for the last two and a half years.
?SERVICES: A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Cantelmi Long Funeral Home, 500 Linden Street, Bethlehem. The family will receive relatives and friends at 11:00am prior to the service, which will begin at 12:30pm. A memory tribute may be placed at?www.cantelmifuneralhome.com. Burial will be private at the convenience of the family.
CONTRIBUTIONS: ??In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Luke's Hospice (Development Office) Fountain Hill, or the American Cancer Society.
Calling Hours
DEC 1. 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (EST)
Cantelmi Long Funeral Home500 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA, 18018
Celebration of Life
DEC 1. 12:30 PM (EST)
Cantelmi Long Funeral Home500 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA, 18018
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