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Margaret Victoria O’Donnell Imle, 77

Jan. 5, 1942 — June 11, 2019

Margaret O’Donnell-Imle passed away peacefully on June 1, 2019, at Creekside Inn, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after a long history of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. She endured 14 years of gradual deterioration.

Maggie was born in Gateshead, England, on Jan. 2, 1942. Her father, John O’Donnell, was on the Everton, England soccer team that won the World Cup in 1927 and 1928. He had a major influence on her development into a caring and confident world traveler. He died from WWII injuries when she was a teenager, and her mother died a few years later. She was then reared by her older brother, John, and his wife, Betty. She and her sister, Kathy, were frequently in trouble for traveling on their own without permission.

Maggie worked as a model; she graduated with a degree in nursing, with post-graduate study in psychiatric nursing, postgraduate midwifery and management. She then moved from England to the United States. She worked in hospitals in southern California; the Psychiatric Nursing Institute for Living in Hartford, Conn.; The Northern Consortium for Health in California; The Sloan Kettering Cancer Treatment Center in NYC and she was the director of quality assurance and discharge planning at Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, Calif. She also worked at Auburn Faith Hospital in Auburn, Calif.; was manager of a home-care agency in Farmville, Va.; was nursing advisor at the Royal College of Nursing in England and taught Nursing in Reno, Nev. She authored several published articles on nursing standards, care management and standards for care.

Maggie was “too busy working and traveling to settle down.” She worked extra shifts to raise the funds for her TWA “Around the World” flight ticket and was always planning her next great adventure. She finally settled down at the “ripe old age of 40” and married Robert M. Imle, Lt. Col., USAF. He was stationed in Sacramento at the time. They both enjoyed skiing – Maggie was a medaled skier and allowed him to follow her on his fourth day of learning to ski. She took him on every black run at Sugar Bowl and he followed her from then on. Some runs were longer “than I could scream” was his statement.

The Air Force believed in travel; they enjoyed living in Sacramento; England; Auburn, Calif.; Farmville, Va.; Reno, Nev.; Spokane, Wash. and Post Falls, Idaho. They continued their travels in the US, Canada, Thailand, the Caribbean and Europe – a total of 23 countries.

Maggie dedicated her life to helping others have a healthy and safe life. She touched thousands of individuals with her healing hands, thoughtful words and caring attitude. She was liked by all and always was the first to volunteer when help was required without being asked. She was very proud to have been the commander of the volunteer Truckee California Civil Air Patrol Squadron – a search and rescue/disaster relief USAF Auxiliary that routinely had the most “saves” of any squadron in the continental US. Her hobbies were antiques, travel, skiing, reading and teaching others how to be “proper.” She also loved animals, especially dogs.

Maggie is survived by her husband, Robert M. Imle; sister, Kathy Foley in Hamilton, Ontario; her sister-in-law, Betty O’Donnell in Tsawwassen, British Columbia.; nephew, Dr. Ronan Foley in Hamilton; nieces, Dr. Finola Foley-Greenbough in Hamilton; Clair in Victoria, British Columbia; Alison in Toronto; Christine O’Donnell in Tsawwassen, British Columbia and Jacqueline O’Donnell in White Rock, British Columbia.