Martha O'Donnell Pagel

Martha O'Donnell Pagel

Martha O'Donnell Pagel, November 11, 1953 - July 19, 2019

Many years ago while spending the night out on the deck with her Grandma and Grandpa, Molly sighed, "Wake me up when the moon comes out Gramma." And Grandma Martha made sure that her granddaughter saw the moon that night.

Many years later, on this past July 19 and in that same home with her husband at her side, Martha O'Donnell Pagel did not wake up.

Born to Charles A and Mable E O'Donnell in San Diego, Martha was raised by her mother and grandparents Neil and Sophie Blackstock. She attended Hoover High School, served as Grand Royal Princess of California Pythian Sunshine Girls, and graduated from San Diego State with highest honors.

Martha moved to Salem in the mid-1970s where she met Victor C Pagel, and they were married July 14, 1979. She was a mom to step-daughter Stephanie (Travis) Giboney, and she was a grandmother to step-granddaughter Molly Warren. Martha was survived also by her siblings, Patti O'Donnell, Mary O'Donnell, and Jim O'Donnell along with in-law brothers and sisters Bob (Geri) Pagel, Ginny (Rick) Bohn, Tom (Sheila Nicholson) Pagel, and Lynne Alice Zizlavsky (now deceased), plus cousins, nephews, and nieces. Predeceasing Martha were her mother and father, her grandparents, her in-law parents, Victor L and Laura M (Olsen) Pagel, and her brother-in-law Frank Zizlavsky.

Following graduation from Willamette University College of Law in 1983, magna cum laude, Martha worked 17 years in state government serving Oregon as Assistant Attorney General, Director of the Division of State Lands, Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor for Natural Resources, and finally Director of the Department of Water Resources. Her gift for effective consensus building and problem-solving in complex natural resource issues was unparalleled. Upon leaving state government Martha was respectfully recognized by The Oregonian as a "bureaucrat to remember".

In 2000 the law firm of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt opened its Salem office where Martha became a shareholder as an environmental law attorney. She was a creative strategist dealing with interests ranging from small family farms to destination resorts to large public utilities. As noted by one colleague, "It was Martha's style not to attack opponents, but rather to bring them along to her way of thinking, which often proved irresistible". Another colleague described her as an "ultimate dealmaker". And in all matters Martha earned and enjoyed the respect of decision makers - agencies, legislators, and governors.

Martha's reputation for excellence and good judgment extended beyond Oregon including her service as Arbitrator appointed by the states of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado to resolve a dispute pursuant to a decree entered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

More detail with regard to Martha's extraordinary professional career can be found in recent tributes and accolades on the Internet, including:

capitalpress.com/state/oregon/martha-pagel-former-owrd-director-dies-at/article7d1a20c6-b3bf-11e9-b589-d345ddf01711.html

and

acoel.org/post/2019/07/25/Martha-Pagel-Giant-of-the-Oregon-Water-Bar.aspx

Exercise was important to Martha and when unable to attend her favorite workout facility she utilized her tread mill at home on the 6-1/2 acres east of Salem where for the past 32 years she and Vic resided with their horses and cats. She was a talented cook and relished hosting meals for family and friends who routinely requested her recipes. Martha also took great joy in sewing especially for Stephanie and Molly. Mary, Patti and Jim recall hearing from Martha while she was in law school: "I made Law Review - and I made my blouse". While on a backpacking trip to Green Lakes Martha carried in her pack a shirt she had made along with a ding dong cake she had baked, to surprise Vic for his birthday when they had reached their destination. And there was the "gramma bag". Whether in the car, on a ship or train or plane, if anyone was in need of snacks, water, tissues, band-aids, sewing kit, spot remover, aspirin, sunscreen, or whatever - out came what Martha's family lovingly called her gramma bag. Her favorite activities in recent years were golfing, dancing, and going on cruises where she would dress to the nines and go dancing every night.

In mid-2015 Martha was informed that she had a treatable form of cancer, and following minor surgery and radiation, she appeared to be cancer free for 2 years. However in late 2017, cancer reappeared, this time as a very rare and particularly nasty and lethal form, laryngeal small cell carcinoma. (No, she never smoked.) Because it was so rare, treatment protocols were limited, and seeking an acceptable quality of life for as long as possible she requested input from numerous specialists throughout the country. The consensus among almost all of the many doctors who provided personal responses supported the treatments that were recommended locally in Oregon. Over the next 18 months Martha underwent chemotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, and radiation.

Although she suffered near fatal side effects from an immunotherapy drug in mid-2018, Martha made a remarkable comeback in late 2018 when she became pain free and full of energy. Although the cancer remained, all of her cancer doctors including those nationwide considering her for clinical trials emphatically urged Martha to enjoy life and to have as much fun as possible for as long as possible - and that's what she did!

It started with spending the New Year at the Oregon coast including dancing to the Lincoln Pops Big Band. Then there was a cruise to Mexico, followed by golfing in California and Arizona as well as locally when weather allowed. Of course there was dancing wherever (including their kitchen) they found their music, primarily Big Band and Smooth Jazz. Forever thoughtful, Martha's final pleasure trip was across the country to visit dear sister-in-law Lynne (suffering from ALS), knowing that time for both of them was limited.

Martha lived those months with vigor and joy. But in May her condition started to deteriorate, and it was learned in June that despite further treatments the cancer had finally spread throughout her body. Although a mid-July cruise to Alaska (Martha's favorite cruise) to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary had been planned, they had no choice but to cancel the reservations.

Martha was grateful, as is her entire family, to the doctors, nurses, and supporting health care professionals and staffs, including those with Willamette Valley Hospice, for all they have done. Not surprisingly it seems every one of those folks came to love Martha just as the rest of her circle of family, friends, clients, and co-workers love her.

Kind, gentle, thoughtful, generous, competent, loving, and courageous, Martha requested that there be no funeral or other formal gathering. Nevertheless, all who knew or were touched by her will no doubt remember and celebrate this remarkable woman - with smiles as well as tears.