Margaret Krug Palen

Margaret Krug Palen was born on a farm in Fremont Township, Benton County, Iowa, on May 14, 1931, to Walter and Enid (Bryner) Krug. She graduated from Atkins High School and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University, later completing her Master’s degree at Oregon State University. Margaret began her career as an Iowa Extension Agent in Linn and Bremer Counties, helping bring university research into local communities. She later continued her work with Oregon State University and the State of Oregon. In the years that followed, she devoted her time and talents internationally through the International Executive Corps, contributing to projects that improved nutrition and textiles in countries including Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Belarus, Bolivia, and Jamaica. A lifelong learner and adventurer, Margaret traveled to eighty-one countries and visited all seven continents. She made seven journeys to the Holy Land and traveled to Egypt six times. In 1956, she proudly summited Mount Hood in Oregon with the Chemeketans. She also explored her German heritage and authored seven books documenting her family’s genealogy. Margaret developed a love for needlework at a young age, learning embroidery and tatting. In her retirement, she traveled to Brugge, Belgium, where she learned the art of traditional bobbin lace. She became an active member of the Portland Lace Society and OIDFA (International Organization of Lace), holding several roles and sharing her passion by teaching her granddaughter during warm, sunlit afternoons on her back deck in Salem, Oregon. Margaret was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church and an active member of the Daughters of the Nile. She married Kenneth R. Palen in Portland, Oregon, and they shared 63 years of marriage. Together they had three children: infant daughter Nancy (deceased), daughter Susan, and son Richard. Margaret is survived by her daughter Susan and her husband, Edward McHugh; her son Richard and his wife, Polly; her grandchildren Andrea McHugh Campbell and her husband, Chris Campbell, and Thomas McHugh and his wife, Alexandra; and her great-grandchildren Avery Campbell and Adrian Campbell. She is also survived by cousins, nieces, and nephews in the state of Iowa. Margaret passed away at the age of 94 and was laid to rest with her husband at Willamette National Military Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. She will be remembered for a life of exploration, needlework, and quiet devotion to the people and places she loved. In lieu of a funeral, the family kindly requests that you share a favorite memory of Margaret. “A smile is the same in any language”

Margaret Krug Palen

May 14, 1931 - March 11, 2026