Ellie McPeak, a former Lake Oswego city councilor and the wife of previous Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak, died in early June at age 88.
Ellie was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in San Diego, California. She met Merrill in seventh grade and they married in 1956. Merrill is a four-star general who was stationed at locations across the world; he served as the chief of staff for the United States Air Force from 1990 to 1994. While Merrill managed medium and large units, Ellie had duties of her own as the wife of an Air Force officer, particularly related to ensuring the welfare of families and junior enlisted officers.
The McPeaks had to move often and lived in Europe for 11 years (including Engliand, Germany and Spain) as well as Hawaii.
“As a senior officer’s wife, she had a lot of responsibility herself. In the civilian community it is hard for people to understand the role a senior wife plays in military services,” Merrill said.
When she had time, Ellie also taught economics at University of Nevada-Las Vegas and night classes for soldiers at the University of Maryland. They raised two boys, Mark and Brian.
Ellie and Merrill settled down in Lake Oswego in 1995 and stayed there for over 20 years.
“When we retired she naturally wanted to get involved in community affairs,” Merrill said.
Ellie was on the Lake Oswego Arts Commission and served on City Council from 2000 to 2008. There, she was part of a council that helped foster downtown redevelopment along with the creation of Millennium Plaza Park and Foothills Park. Former Mayor Jack Hoffman also said Ellie was critical in saving a pond at Lake Garden Court.
“She almost single-handedly saved that little area for the public,” he said. “It was an issue in which a developer was proposing to buy the Lake Garden Court area and build a house in the middle of it. And Ellie convinced the council, with the assistance of the city manager, to purchase that.”
Her colleagues described Ellie as the smartest person in the room, collegial, funny, thoughtful and well-respected. They also said she utilized her experience as an economist and as a Naval senior wife.
“We didn’t always agree, but we had an incredible amount of respect for each other. I will miss her,” former City Councilor John Turchi said.
“Ellie is a very smart lady and she had a great wit. When she was making a point or giving you good information, she did it in a style that was always playful or carefully considered,” former City Councilor Mary Puskas said.
Hoffman added: “She did her homework so she was prepared for every meeting.”
Ellie’s remains will be placed at River View Cemetery in Portland.
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