Pamela J. Aister

Pamela J. Aister joined her beloved daughter, Michelle Mae, on Saturday, Oct. 08, 2022, shortly after entering Hospice care. Born August 13, 1944, in Aurora Ill., she was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph John and Eleanor Mae Bentson; daughter Michelle and her father, Edwin J. Aister, and “bro-in-law,” Bruce Hansen. Pam is survived by her sister, Cassie B. Hansen; sister-in-law, Patricia Buckley and Shelly’s forever love, Brad Stern.

Pam attended West Aurora High School and was a most popular teen known by friends as “Bubbles.” After graduation she attended Stephens College for Women in Columbia, Mo. – no worries, plenty of boys at the nearby university! Returning to Aurora she met and wed Ed and had Michelle, who changed her life forever, eventually leading to her pursuit of a teaching degree where she taught in the West Aurora School District 129 for 10 years.

After much pressure to join the rest of her family in Arizona she moved to Fountain Hills in 1990, where after a stint working for the Census Bureau, she was hired by Superintendent Walt Dunne to teach at McDowell Mountain Elementary School, where the “Ace Place” was born.

Pam initiated numerous fundraising projects, raising more than $50,000 for McDowell Mountain and Four Peaks Elementary Schools. These efforts resulted in procuring World Books or Child Craft books in every classroom at McDowell Mountain; obtaining a dozen “Spinoza Talking Bears” for kids with cancer; providing third grade reading level books for the Four Peaks School Library; and sending funds, mail and support to local wounded servicemen.

During her 18-plus years as first a third and then a fourth-grade teacher, Pam consistently created innovative learning tools and programs used in the school curriculum. One of these, the Steppingstones Student Character Development Book, was used as a McDowell Mountain School school-wide program and was one of many reasons she was given both the Arizona and National “My Favorite Teacher Award” in 2001.

In 2003, she wrote the “Information Treasure Hunt Unit” for all third grade classes. This interactive program promoted community history discovery at the Fountain Hills River of Time Museum and art awareness at the Foothills Art Exhibit and Fountain Hills Sculpture Collection. The program included all third-grade students learning the Museum Song specifically written for their learning experience. The learning experience grew into community outreach when this song, along with other holiday favorites and stories were presented by Mrs. Aister’s “Aces” (her third-grade class) to various groups in the community including the Historical Society, the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council, District #8 the Town’s 20th Anniversary celebration and others.

Recognizing Pam’s efforts to teach and involve her students in their community, she and her class were adopted by the Fountain Hills Firemen for a year via a grant to promote community bonding and knowledge. She also created several Thanksgiving Day floats representing McDowell Mountain School, Student Council, Kiwanis and the Fountain Hills Republican Women’s Club. Pam also utilized community members and leaders to inspire and enlighten students, teaching them about everything from publishing a newspaper and the operations of town government to the human skeleton and firefighting.

In addition to community members, Pam utilized parents for special growth projects – an attorney Ace mom conducted a “classroom court” in the innovative Trial of Jack and the Bean Stalk; the winner of an origami plane contest won a flight over Fountain Hills compliments of an Ace dad with stunt pilot friends; an Ace fireman dad taught the students the rules of hockey when they earned funds for a Coyote Field Trip. The list of innovative and creative ideas that Pam used over the years to enrich her students, to motivate the “Family of Aces” to achieve dreams and goals, to involve the community in education and to benefit the school district is too lengthy to cover.

In her spare time, Pam was one of Santa’s helpers at his breakfasts, served spaghetti at every museum fund raising dinner and participated in the Chambers Purple People program forever.

In her tenure in the Fountain Hills School District, she made a difference in countless lives. Former students who are university students and older are still proud to be known as “Aces,” a designation that denotes pride and belief in oneself and respect and support of others. She was inducted into the 2010 Lower Verde River Valley Hall of Fame for these contributions.

God speed, Pam, on your next adventure.