Pamela Carter Pruett

On Sunday, August 9, 2026, the world became a little quieter with the passing of Pam Pruett, who died at home in Granite Falls at the age of 66.

Pamela Carter Pruett was born in Anderson, South Carolina, on February 13, 1960, the oldest of four children born to James Emmett and Shelba Carter Pruett. She grew up with her siblings, Jay Pruett of Bethlehem, Amy Pruett of Bethlehem, and Phil Pruett of Hickory. After graduating from Thomson High School in Thomson, Georgia, Pam eventually made her way to North Carolina, where she would build her life and raise her family.

Pam was a devoted mother to her two sons, Randall Shane Quarles and Matthew Tyler Quarles. Being a mother was one of the great loves of her life, and that love only grew as her family did.

Over the years, Pam worked as a property manager and later as a substitute teacher. But her most important jobs were never the ones that came with a paycheck. She was a mother, wife, sister, friend, and, perhaps most proudly, Grammie.

Pam loved NASCAR, a good mystery or thriller novel, and just about any opportunity to learn something new—or to prove that she already knew it. She was an avid reader, with a particular fondness for James Patterson novels. There was a good chance that if Pam wasn't watching NASCAR or spending time with her family, she could be found with a James Patterson book nearby.

Pam was also a walking font of trivia, and if there was an obscure fact that nobody else in the room knew, there was a very good chance Pam did. She had a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue, and anyone who knew her knew that Pam was not in the habit of keeping her thoughts to herself. You never had to wonder what Pam was thinking. She would be happy to tell you.

That honesty was part of what made her so memorable. Pam was unmistakably herself. She could make you laugh, challenge your opinion, teach you something you didn't know (or at least think she did), and occasionally make you wonder how she had managed to know something so random. Those who loved her wouldn't have wanted her any other way.

In 2013, Pam married David Kerley, and the two made their home together in Granite Falls. They shared a happy life there for the remainder of Pam's years, surrounded by family, friends, books, NASCAR, and all the ordinary moments that, in the end, become the extraordinary memories of a life well lived.

Pam found particular joy in being a grandmother. As “Grammie,” she loved spending time with her grandchildren and watching them grow. Her grandchildren knew they were loved, and they will carry memories of her stories, her humor, her opinions, and the special place she made for each of them in her life. Pam leaves behind her siblings, Jay (Renee), Amy, and Phil (Karen); her sons, Randy and Matt (Rachel); her stepchildren, Meisha Russell (Mark), Jake Kerley (Caroline), and Savannah Carlton (Justin); her grandsons, Henry, Hamilton, and Emmett; her four step-grandchildren Gabby, Zayden, Gatlin, and Gentry; and numerous extended family members and friends.

Pam will be deeply missed—not simply because she was loved, but because she was one of those people who could never be replaced. Her voice, her laughter, her opinions, her endless supply of trivia, her love of a good James Patterson mystery, and her way of making sure everyone knew exactly what she thought will live on in the memories of those who knew her.

She leaves behind a family who loved her, grandchildren who adored their Grammie, friends who will miss her dearly, and countless stories that will be told for years to come. Pam was, quite simply, Pam. And there will never be another one quite like her.

No services are planned at this time.

Please sign the online guestbook on the Memorial Wall at www.jenkinsfuneralhome.net. The Pruett family has entrusted arrangements to Jenkins Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Newton