Richard Pagel

Dick was born in Kalispell, Montana on October 19, 1941 to Beryl and Harmon Pagel. They moved to Tacoma while he was still a baby, and the family grew when LaVonne was born. They then moved from Tacoma to Ferndale, Washington when he was in his teens.  He graduated from Ferndale High and went to Western but decided that wasn’t for him so he went into the Army. He spent most of his Army years working with radio communication equipment at a castle in Hochst (Hurst), Germany. When he was discharged from the Army in 1963, he came back o Ferndale , and met the "love" of his life - Norma Jean Hahn from Sedro Wooley.  They married in 1963 at Zion Lutheran church in Ferndale and started their life together in Bellingham. Later that year, they moved to Bremerton because Dick found work at the Navy Yard. He went through the pipefitter apprenticeship, working many years as a pipefitter. He finally ended up in Scheduling as a supervisor. Their oldest son Roger was born in Bremerton. They moved to Port Orchard a year and a half later, where their youngest son Carl was born in 1969. They lived in Port Orchard for 22 years before moving to Olalla where they built their dream home.   When Dick was 55 he had a heart attack, which helped him decide it was time to retire. It turned out to be the best decision. He found retirement the job he had always been looking for. Retirement gave him more time to do the fun things he enjoyed such as salmon fishing, pheasant hunting , and other outdoor activities. He belonged to Glass Odyssey Corvette Club and had since 1970, being president of the club at one Time. The first corvette he bought was a green 1964. He had some fun times auto-crossing, going on tours and running rallies. He also really enjoyed duplicate bridge, becoming a Silver Life Master in 2008.  During the summers he looked forward to fishing down at the ocean – keeping the family well supplied with salmon. While in retirement, Dick spent some time selling cars in Tacoma. The best thing about selling cars was meeting lots of interesting people, and being able to help his friend run the dealership.  When he was 61 a wonderful thing happened – he became a Grandfather. So much happiness and fun. He enjoyed every moment with his grandchildren. Henrik came first in 2003 and then Lola in 2006.  Both the grandkids loved spending time with their grandpa.  His life was full of laughter and family time. He was truly loved by his wonderful wife Norma, and two sons Roger and Carl.  A Celebration of Life Service will be at 2:00 pm on Monday, June 27, 2011 at Rill's Life Tribute Center in Port Orchard followed by burial at Sunset Lane Memorial Park.