JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Finding ways to carry on after the loss of a loved one can be a difficult and emotional time. Family and friends said goodbye to beloved and cherished Kimberly Pfender, who passed away at the age of 53, Aug. 20, 2021.
Coworkers and friends gathered to celebrate the life and honor the memory and legacy of Kimberly “Ms. Kim” Pfender, a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant, during a 673d Air Base Wing Judge Advocate courtroom dedication at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 6.
Kim served with distinction as both an Air Force non-commissioned officer and civil servant for a combined federal service of 28 years.
The ceremony began the same way Ms. Kim started every morning and every staff meeting by saying, “Every day is a good day.” The ceremony marked a momentous milestone for the legal office, as the team celebrated Ms. Kim and her hard work and dedication to the U.S. Air Force and the 673d ABW JA Office.
“We owe an enormous thank you and congratulations to Ms. Kim who worked so hard over the last few years to make this courtroom what it is today. She spearheaded the courtroom innovation project, acquired funding, completed daunting paperwork required, coordinated with contractors, helped the design team and more. The courtroom would not be what you see before you today without her work,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Mitchell Frye, 673d ABW JA chief of civil law and narrator for the ceremony.
Frye noted that Ms. Kim would not only be remembered for the courtroom innovation project, but also for her teddy bear tricycles, her baby showers, her countless hours tutoring Airmen in math, volunteering her time with the children’s bowling tournaments, and even becoming an ordained minister to marry JAG family in the very courtroom being dedicated in her honor.
“She was also known as a second mom to Airmen and civilians away from their families,” Frye continued. “She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to go during the holiday season and hosted Airmen during permanent change of station transitions. She would provide them a comfortable bed and hot meal every night. She was more than a coworker. She was more than a friend. She was family.”
In attendance were members of the JBER community and friends and family of Pfender. Presiding over the ceremony was U.S. Air Force Col. Brian Banas, 673d ABW JA staff judge advocate.
“This courtroom is a special place, and it’s appropriate that for a very special person, Ms. Kim Pfender, that we dedicate it in her memory and in her legacy,” Banas said. “For us in the legal world, if I could be so bold to say, for us in this office, in addition to all the legal reasons this courtroom is used, this is like our kitchen table. This is where we gather, where we have our staff meetings, where we sing ‘happy birthday,’ give accolades to each other weekly, celebrate special events and holidays, promotions and farewells. So this is really our kitchen table, which makes it extra special. It’s quite a special place, and Ms. Kim was very special to a lot of us here.”
Banas continued to talk about Pfender professionally, as well as how much she meant personally to so many people.
She enlisted in 1990 and became an automated radar tracking specialist for three years in Colorado before cross-training to become a paralegal. Her paralegal career brought her all over the world to include Lajes Field, Portugal, and Saudi Arabia. She retired from active duty in 2011 then worked in civilian positions in Tennessee, before returning to civilian legal practice at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, and then to JBER in 2016.
At JBER she began as a paralegal specialist and progressed within the legal office to be the senior supervisory paralegal, where Banas said she “knocked it out of the park.”
She was the 2018 Wing Staff Agencies Category III Civilian of The Year, the 2019 Pacific Air Forces The Judge Advocate General nominee for legal service civilian of the year and 2020 Wing Staff Agencies Category III Civilian of The Year.
The 673d ABW JA team described Pfender as a paralegal of exceptional skill and judgment, who shaped the lives of generations of young Airmen, NCOs and new judge advocates, teaching and coaching them as legal professionals, Airmen, and future leaders. She brought joy to everyone she touched.
Those in attendance then shared thoughts and reflections of Ms. Kim.
“Kim was the driving force behind the courtroom remodel,” wrote U.S. Air Force Col. Matt Lund, Banas’ predecessor. “When I arrived in July, 2020, construction had not yet started. Kim had the plans and knew they needed some work to really make a magnificent courtroom. She spoke with all the JAGs and paralegals to see what they thought. She built consensus and kept us motivated for the finished product. She could see it in her mind’s eye, and she knew it would be magnificent.
“Kim approached mentoring the same way. She had folks all over the office under her wing. She saw in each JAG and paralegal their potential, and her vision was motivating. Especially during the coronavirus, she was constantly lifting our spirits up and keeping us all motivated. She is sorely missed, and for all those who worked with her, nothing could be more right than naming the courtroom in her memory.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Craig Brunson, Area Defense Counsel at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, who was assigned to JBER from 2017 to 2020, said he’d forever cherish the going-away gift Ms. Kim went out of her way to design and order for him when he PCSed, just as she did for all her family members when they departed - not because it was significant of anything he did, but because it will always make him think of her.
“Ms. Pfender was the first person I met when I walked into the legal office for the first time as a brand new lieutenant,” Brunson said. “I could tell right away that if she was the only person I'd ever meet there, I would be perfectly fine. The first or second weekend of living in temporary lodging, and not knowing virtually a soul in Alaska, Ms. Pfender brought me into her home for a fish fry, and allowed me to share an entire Sunday afternoon with her family. That meant more to me than I think she would ever realize. I had no idea that a legal office was a family, but that's exactly how she made it feel for all of us.”
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Lewis, assigned to Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, and 673d ABW JA from 2018 to 2021, described Ms. Kim as a mother to all, a friend to anyone who needed it, shelter to those without, and a firm hand when necessary.
“I came to Alaska in unfavorable circumstances,” Lewis said. “My professional life was rough, my foundation shaken, and I sometimes felt alone. Every single morning this boisterous and energetic woman would say, ‘Every day is a good day.’ I came to know her as Ms. Pfender. ‘Call me Ms. Kim!’ she would say. We all came to know her as a quintessential professional, but I want to speak about the person she was, and the impression she left.
“When Ms. Kim was happy, you were happy, because of her infectious smile and laughter. When my wife and I conceived our first child, Ms. Kim hosted a baby shower, purchased things on our registry, and checked on us often. We had no local family, but she was a mother figure to all and ensured we all felt supported. Although my time with Ms. Kim was short, she left her mark on everyone she encountered. I always keep part of her with me. Every Christmas, she would stitch the names of office personnel onto stockings and hang them outside our offices or on our desks. It's the first thing I see every morning because it reminds me that every day is a good day. I send my love and condolences to her loving husband, her beautiful children and her grandchildren. I love you, Ms. Kim! May you rest in peace.”
A plaque honoring Pfender is now visible at the entrance to the newly remodeled courtroom, so that all who may enter will all be able to see her bright smile and remember “Every day is a good day” and reflect upon her example and try to rise to that example of leadership, mentorship and being a great Aiman and family member at the legal office’s “kitchen table.”
The plaque reads: “Master sergeant, retired, Kimberly L. Pfender served with distinction as both a non-commissioned officer and civil servant for a combined federal service of 28 years. A paralegal of exceptional skill and judgment, she shaped the lives of generations of young Airmen, NCOs and new judge advocates, teaching and coaching them as legal professionals, Airmen and future leaders. She brought joy to everyone she touched. This courtroom is dedicated to the memory of MSgt (Ret) Kimberly Pfender. Leader, Mentor, Friend.”
“Even though Ms. Kim is not here with us today, we’re able to ensure her legacy as a mentor, a friend and a leader will live on here at JBER,” Banas said. “So for five, ten, even fifty years, as long as there’s a courtroom, we will have the Pfender Courtroom.”