Phillip A. Pagel, 80, of Blair died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, at Memorial Community Hospital in Blair.

A Service of Remembrance will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at First Lutheran Church in Blair. Although there will be no visitation, friends are invited to greet the family at a luncheon following the service in the church fellowship hall. Interment will be at a later date in Wisconsin.

Phillip A. Pagel was born Jan. 29, 1934, at his parents’ home in Poy Sippi, Wis., the third child of Alfred J. and Letha (Jorgensen) Pagel.

He was baptized and confirmed at First English Lutheran Church in Poy Sippi, a Danish congregation of the former United Evangelical Lutheran Church.

He graduated from Berlin High School in Berlin, Wis., and continued his education at Dana College, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1956.

Following graduation, he took a two-year appointment as interim director of theater and instructor in speech at Waukesha Senior High School, Waukesha, Wis.

During the summers of his college and teaching years, he served as program director at the Wisconsin Lions Camp for Visually Handicapped, the first camp of its type in the nation.

In the summer of 1958, Mr. Pagel accepted an invitation to return to Dana to organize and manage the college's admissions/student recruitment program and was soon promoted to the position of director of public relations. His professional career at Dana spanned 40 years. He served under six college presidents and was responsible for the ground breaking and dedication of 10 major building projects. He carried various titles during those years, and in 1985 was named the college's first vice president for institutional advancement in charge of admissions, financial aid, alumni affairs, development/fund raising, public relations, news service, special events and conferences/conventions.

In 1970, he became a paraplegic as the result of a spinal surgery. Although the surgery saved his life and relieved constant pain, it meant living and working from a wheelchair, which is what he did, including designing and building a wheelchair-accessible home in Blair.

In a 1992 article by contributing editor of the Omaha World-Herald, Harold Andersen, Mr. Pagel was named to Andersen's "All Star Team" in recognition of his professional accomplishments in spite of his disability. And in 1994, he was awarded the Victories Award by Immanuel Hospital in Omaha.

Between 1970 and his retirement, he served on numerous local, state and national boards and commissions dealing with disability issues, including the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, Nebraska governor's commission on employment of persons with disabilities and the Nebraska Easter Seals board of directors.

Mr. Pagel was a member of First Lutheran Church in Blair, was active in the community and served as a member of the board of directors of Memorial Community Hospital for 12 years and as the board's representative on the Health Council of the Midlands. He was a member of the Blair Chamber of Commerce Board and in 1987 received its award for distinguished community service. He was also a member of the Board of Review for Alegent Health Systems in Omaha.

When asked what he would remember most about his years at Dana by the late Tom Allan, roving reporter for the Omaha-World Herald, Mr. Pagel responded, "The people―students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the internationally known personalities I was privileged to meet or bring to campus." That list included such names as Lauritz Melchior, Victor Borge, and Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

On the occasion of his retirement from Dana, he was named a "Great Dane of Dana" – an award he created, but had never received, to honor significant accomplishments by persons of Danish descent.

In the fall of 2001, he suffered a sudden illness that resulted in several life-threatening surgeries and the eventual amputation of both of his legs at the hip. Thanks to distinguished medical personnel in Blair and Omaha and his devoted sister, Lorraine Jensen, he was able to spend the remainder of his life at his home in Blair.

He is survived by sister Lorraine Jensen, formerly of Minneapolis, Minn.; niece Kathy and husband Gary Engstrand and Kathy's son, Spencer Allen; and nephew Jim and wife Pam Jensen and their daughter, Piper, all of Minneapolis; and many cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by an infant brother.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Danish American Archive and Library, First Lutheran Church or Memorial Community Hospital, all of Blair.

Published in Omaha World-Herald from Feb. 10 to Feb. 11, 2014

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Pagel, Phillip A.

1934 – 2014

Died February 6, 2014. Preceded in death by infant brother and parents, Letha Jorgensen and Alfred Pagel. Survived by one sister, Lorraine Jensen of Blair/Minneapolis; one niece, Kathy Jensen and husband Gary Engstrand; one nephew, James Jensen and wife Pam; one great-nephew, Spencer Allen; one great-niece, Piper Jensen, all of Minneapolis; and numerous cousins and friends.

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE at 11am on Wednesday, February 12 at First Lutheran Church in Blair. NO VISITATION. Memorials suggested to Danish American Archive & Library, First Lutheran Church, or Memorial Community all of Blair. CAMPBELL-AMAN FUNERAL HOME Blair, NE 402-426-2191 www.campbellaman.com

Funeral Leaflet

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In Loving Memory of Phillip A. Pagel

Born January 29, 1934 Poy Sippi, Wisconsin; Entered Into Rest February 6, 2014 Blair, Nebraska.

Memorial Service 11:00 AM Wednesday, February 12, 2014 First Lutheran Church, Blair, Nebraska Officiating: Pastor Pam Ciulla, Pastor Linda Walz. Words of Remembrance: Dr. Myrvin F. Christopherson, President Emeritus Dana College. Organist: Clare Cowing. Vocalist: Duey Heffelfinger. Vocal Selection: “The Lord’s Prayer”. Congregational Selections: “O For A Thousand Tongues”, “O Day Full Of Grace” Special Musical Selection: “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth”. Recessional Selection: “Hail Dana”

~~~Obituaries and funeral leaflet courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings and leaflets on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska. ~~~

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