NORMAL, Ill. – Longtime Illinois State football staff member Pam Merna passed away Thursday at Carle BroMenn Medical Center after a courageous two-plus year battle with cancer.
For nearly 30 years, Pam was the first person someone talked to when calling the football office or was the first person to greet anyone that entered the football offices at Horton Field House or the Kaufman Football Building with a smile and a warm greeting. She worked for four Redbird head coaches in that time, beginning with Jim Heacock then Todd Berry, Denver Johnson and for the last 13 seasons, Brock Spack.
She kept the program moving forward, whether it was assisting the coaching staff in making travel arrangements, helping set up official visits for respective recruits and their families, or handling the head coach's schedule including speaking engagements, conference calls, and meetings around campus and in the community.
However, her most important role was serving as a football mom to thousands of Redbird football players in her time with the program. For many of those players, who were far from home for maybe the first time in their lives, Pam was a calming presence and a fierce and loyal confidant. Whether it was sending newspaper clips home to their families or helping distribute certificates, photos and plaques, Pam was their biggest fan and supporter when many of them needed it.
The entire ISU Athletics Department sends its condolences to Pam's family, her friends, and all those who loved her.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30, at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home in Bloomington. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at the funeral home. Cremation rites have been accorded. Interment will immediately follow services at Holy Cross Cemetery, Merna. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family to be used to establish a memorial in Pam's memory through the ISU Football program.
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