Aug. 1 was Seattle Night Out, part of a nationwide crime-prevention program sponsored locally by the Seattle Police Department. Neighborhood streets throughout the city were cordoned off, and neighbors gathered to get to know one another better socially, rather than at a Block Watch meeting.
One Queen Anne block party was special - the one on Pam Waechter's block.
Pam Waechter was one of six women shot July 28 at the Jewish Federation in Belltown, allegedly by Naveed Afzal Haq, who randomly expressed his anger at Israel for its aggression against Lebanon. Though some remain in critical condition, five of the women survived the shooting. Pam Waechter died.
Even Elliott Atkinson, age 7, knows the reason. "It's all about that war that's going on," he said. But to him the war is far away, whereas Waechter lived next door.
"Pam was a really nice lady," said Elliott. "I'm really sad that she died.
"My mom really liked her," he added.
Mom Natalie Atkinson felt stronger than that. "Pam was like a mom to me," she said. "I loved her so much. I'm in complete disbelief that I won't hear her gate open again." Waechter walked her dogs Poncho and Annie every morning before work, and her gate creaked as she opened it. (Waech-ter's daughter has adopted the dogs.)
"Pam's the one who said 'Good morning' to me as I stepped out to get my paper," said neighbor Jon Engle. "She always had a big smile on her face when she said it."
"She was never, ever not smiling," said Atkinson.
"She was a lovely person," said neighbor Joanne Sabella. "So friendly. I saw her Friday morning. We waved at each other."
Someone in the crowd said, "You nev-er know when it'll be your last wave."
As children covered the safe, empty street with chalk drawings, Engine 20 from the Seattle Fire Department pulled up to the corner. Relaxed firefighters disembarked, and the children ran down to the fire truck to line up for the privilege of sitting in the driver's seat.
"We thought it was important not to cancel this party," said block party organizer Cathy Michalec. Waechter was a regular at Block Watch meetings and would have wanted her neighbors to get together this way. "Our goal tonight is to stop, slow down, and get to know each others' stories," said Michalec. "We don't want to learn them after someone dies, like Pam."
A collection was taken up to plant a tree and place a memorial plaque in the traffic circle at the intersection of West Armour Street and 11th Avenue West. Any excess funds collected will be donated to the Jewish Foundation in Waechter's memory.
Don Murphie has lived in the neighborhood for 43 years. "Pam's death was a horrendous thing, whether she was here or anywhere else," he said. "The fact that she was a neighbor makes it worse."
At 7 p.m. the gathering of neighbors paid tribute to Waechter with reminiscences and a moment of silence, accentuated by the sounds of children playing in the background.
To make a donation to the memorial fund for Pam Waechter, make check payable to "Friends of Pam, c/o Kirsten Roth" and mail it to Friends of Pam, 2212 Queen Anne Ave. N., Box 311, Seattle, WA 98109.
[[In-content Ad]]
