Dave Engels

Spouse:  Sue
Kids:

Jenny Engels (32) & her husband Doug Holdt & their daughter Hannah Holdt (born 3-30-2009)
Mary Engels (30)

David Anthony Engels, 64, of Aurora died Sunday. May 30, 2010. of Parkinson's disease. A graveside service and burial took place June 2, in the Aurora Community Cemetery.

He was born April 16, 1946. in Huron. S.D., to Anthony and Shirley Engels. His father joined the U.S. Air Force when it was formed, and the family lived many places in the U.S. and around the world,

Dave moved with his family to Moscow, Idaho, in 1959. He graduated from Moscow High School in 1964, attended the University of Idaho, receiving a bachelors degree in history in 1970, and a law degree in 1973.

He met Susan Spencer of Seattle while attending the University of Idaho. They were married June 3, 1967 in Moscow.

Dave paid for his education by fighting fires in the summer. He worked one summer for a state of Idaho Eire crew, two summers with the Slate Creek (Idaho) Hotshots crew, the summers of 1966 to 1969 as a smokejumper with the U.S, Forest Service at Idaho City, Idaho, and the summers of 1971 to 1973 as a smokejumper with the Bureau of Land .Management in Fairbanks, Alaska.

His career as a lawyer began with private practice in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1974. From 1976 until 1984 he worked in the general counsel s office of the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice where he worked for three years from a field office in Portland, representing the Bonneville Power Administration in the Washington Public Power Supply litigation. He then returned to private practice in Portland, eventually becoming a partner in Banks. Newcomb & Engels. He retired a few years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

He participated in several studies of Parkinson’s disease at Oregon Health & Science University and he lobbied Congress in support of Parkinson's research. He also served on the boards of the Oregon Environmental Council and Outward Bound,, and was elected to the board of the Aurora Rural Fire District.

Dave enjoyed many outdoor activities including hunting, camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, and rock and mountain climbing. He was a member of the Mazamas mountain climbing club. He taught his daughters and their friends how to build snow caves. He had a great Jove of gardening and grew most of his family s vegetables for many years.. In later life he was an avid grower of roses.

He is survived by his wife. Sue of Aurora: daughter, Jennifer Engels, son-in-law, Douglas Holdt, and granddaughter, Hannah Engels Holdt of Honolulu; daughter, Mary Engels of Falmouth, Mass.; mother, Shirley Engels Ebbeler and stepfather, Col. Harold Ebbeler (retired, U. S. Air Force) of Albuquerque, N.M.; brothers, John of Weatherford, Texas; Peter of Schereville, Ind, and Charles of Signal Hill, Calif, He was preceded in death by his father In 1977.

Donations in his memory may be made to Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon or Thelma’s Place, 352 N.W. Second Ave. Canby, OR 97013. Please sign the online guest hook at www.oregonlive.com/oblituaries

Hannah born 3-30-09

Dave lives in Canby, but at a new (and nicer) place.

Sue bought a house in Aurora, four doors down from where the kids grew up.  She "unretired" and is now the finance director of the City of Canby -- three blocks from where Dave lives. 

Jenny and her husband Doug moved back to Hawaii, bought a house and just had a baby.  Jenny works for the University of Hawaii teaching and doing research in geology/geophysics.  Doug does GIS work for a consulting firm in Honolulu. 

Mary lives in Falmouth, MA and works in Woods Hole, MA for Sea Education Association.  Her job is varied but still includes getting to sail with college students having a semester at sea. 

Dave and Sue's 42nd wedding anniversary is June 3.  So the reunion will also be an anniversary trip.  See you soon.

Dave has moved and so have I. His new address is 390 SW 2nd Ave., Canby, OR 97013. He can now be reached by phone. The number is 503-266-3031. When you call, a staff member will answer and go get Dave. This is working much better for him. His email address is the same. He is just three blocks from my office, which is great. My new mailing address is 21154 Liberty St. NE, Aurora, OR 97002.

It's been fun the see the updates so far. Seems like people are enthusiastic about the upcoming reunion.

I received word from my doctors a couple of weeks ago that the GDNF study was being shut down. The company testing the medicine and the FDA were both concerned about two things: five of the participants had developed antibodies to the GDNF factor; and there were some troubling results in parallel studies in laboratory animals being run at the same time. Naturally I'm disappointed, but there were no promises made going in. The study was highly experimental. Sometime in the next few months I'll have surgery to remove the distribution system - pumps, tubing and catheters. It should be far less complicated and take less time than the surgery to put them in.

I have really appreciated the interest, concern and good wishes that so many of you have expressed. We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the next reunion--or sooner.

• Getting ready...
• About to leave a perfectly good airplane..
• Headed for the treetops..
• And... the canopy opens....

Dave & Sue on their 35th wedding anniversary - June 3, 2002

I attended the University of Idaho on and off until graduating with a degree in history in 1970.

I met my wife Sue at UI and we were married in June, 1967. Got a law degree from UI in 1973.

Firefighting was a big part of my life starting in high school.  I worked on a state crew the summer of 1963.  After that it was two summers on a hot shot crew, four seasons (1966-69) as a smokejumper in Idaho City, and three seasons (1971-73) as a jumper for the BLM in Fairbanks.  It was hard to do, but eventually I gave up firefighting and began to practice law in Anchorage.

After three years,  I was lured to Washington, D.C. where I worked for the U.S. Department of Energy for eight years.  I transferred to a job with a U.S. Department of Justice field office in Portland, OR, so that we could move back to the Northwest.  After three years with Justice, I went back to private practice in Portland.  I was a partner in a law firm in Portland when I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1996.  I have been retired for several years now.

I spend some of my time being a participant in medical studies at the Parkinson's Research Center at Oregon Health Sciences University.

I am now one of 34 people in the world (some in North America, some in Europe) participating in what's known as the GDNF study.  In November 2003 I had six and a half hours of surgery to install two catheters to an area of my brain called the putamen.  The catheters are connected by tubing inside my body to computerized infusion pumps in my abdomen.  This distribution system is capable of delivering a steady drip of solution to the putamen.  Half the participants in the study are getting a human growth factor in solution, and the other half are getting saline solution (placebo).  Neither the patients nor the doctors know who is getting what.  The hope is that the growth factor will stimulate dormant cells in the putamen to produce dopamine -- in short supply when one has Parkinson's.  This first double blinded phase of the study lasts six months.  The pumps are refilled every four weeks.

One June 2, I start into the open label phase of the study which lasts two years.   In this phase all the participants get the growth factor.  At this point I can't tell what I've been getting, but there do seem to be some small signs of improvement.  By the time of the reunion the first phase of the study will likely have been "unblinded" and I should know which group I was in.

The surgery wasn't much fun, but I am grateful to have a chance to participate in the study.  My doctors do a great job of medication management for my Parkinson's symptoms.  But the study drug has the potential to address the disease itself.

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the reunion.