Palisades Neighborhood Association

Ethel Shaubel Finds Her Man

Published October 27, 2026


“ I had just retired from the University of California, Berkeley as an administrator and sociology professor and now I was going to run a cemetery,” exclaimed Richard Santee when he discovered the real reason  Ethel Emmot  Schaubel invited to lunch. “I thought she was just a nice lady wanting to chat  but after the second bite I knew she was persuading me to become the manager of Oswego Pioneer Cemetery.”  Santee became Oswego Pioneer Cemetery manager in 2011.

Richard Santee


Ethel Shaubel

As a youngster Schaubel visited the cemetery  frequently with her parents, Nina ‘”Worthington and James Peter Emmott, when they tended the family graves. But that practice ceased when her parents passed away and Schaubel married, moving to Hawaii with her husband Earl to open the first car rental company there.

Upon the Schaubel’s return to Oswego, Ethel visited the cemetery. What she saw dismayed her; her mother’s severely damaged, weathr-beaten headstone; weeds chest-high; and unkept shrubbery everywhere. “I had to take action,” she mused to herself. “The cemetery needs a manager and I know just the person.”

Schaubel had many plans for the cemetery, which was platted in 1881 by George W. Prosser. One goal was to create a map showing the plots of the more than 1,200 individuals buried there. Some names you might recognize include Borland, Bullock, Dyer, Freepons, Hallinan, Shipley, Walling, Wanker, Worthington.

Another Schaubel goal: hire a resident caretaker to deter vandalism and help with upkeep. That goal was fulfilled when a house was moved from the city’s First Addition to the Cemetery and Joe Collins became the first – and still is-the cemetery groundskeeper.

The cemetery desperately needed a filing system and a new home instead of residing in cardboard boxes,  Schaubel often lamented “and we need some sort of organized leadership–like a board of directors.” Steve Dietz, Santee’s brother-in-law to the rescue. Together they modernized the  filing system and with the help of long-time Oswego resident and volunteer Nancy Headlee, he established a board for what is now a non-profit organization. Headlee became the first  board president.

Up until her passing, Schaubel worked almost daily in the  cemetery from March to Memorial Day. When she wasn’t tending the 5-acre cemetery with friends and family, Ethel Schaubel operated The Bob Shop beauty salon in downtown Lake Oswego.

Born in Lake Oswego in 1920,  Ethel Schaubel died April 17, 2014 at the age of 93 in Ellensburg, WA at the home of her son Ian Elliot.

Sources: History Soup – stories of Oswego’s past by Nancy Dunis

For more stories about Lake Oswego’s history, copies of my book History Soup -Stories of Oswego’s can be purchased on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/2kw55pz3 and at Lake Oswego Ace Hardware. Connect with Nancy: nancydunis.com or histsoup.press@gmail.com.

NEW BOOK RELEASES COMING NOV 20: Lost Restaurants Lake Oswego and West Linn = a pictorial history ; Pumpkin Lovers Delight.

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Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) Project Coordinator

Primary Role:

  • Handles NEP grant applications, grant approvals, reviews receipts for reimbursement and is the single point of contact between the entire Palisades Neighborhood Association (PNA) and the City.
  • To be successfull in this role you should be organized, communicative.
  • Time commitment: From 8-12 hrs. throughout the year

Process:

  • Accepting NEP proposals: Anyone living in the Palisades Neighborhood Association can submit proposal(s) to the NEP Coordinator along with estimated costs throughout the year. They should follow the application guidelines and answer the questions related to their proposal.
  • PNA Board will Vote on Which Items To Include in our NEP Proposal: During the month of March PNA board meeting the NEP Coordinator asks the board to vote on the proposed item(s). NEP Coordinator encourages person(s) proposing the item(s) to attend the meeting to answer questions that might come up. The PNA board then votes on which items should be included in the NEP grant proposal.
  • Developing and Submitting the NEP Grant Proposalt: During the NEP grant proposal period (usually the month of May) the NEP Project Coordinator:
    • Fills out the NEP grant proposal application based on items approved by the PNA Board;
    • Gets sign offs from the PNA Chair
    • Submits the proposal form to the city in early May for the initial review process
    • Provides additional information requested by the city
    • Revises and submits the final application to the City by the deadline (typically May 31).

What Happens Next:

  • Iris McCaleb from the City forwards the NEP grant proposals to the grant review committee and then to the City Council who review it and awards certain grants.The NEP Coordinator will receive a letter of award from the City and will share it with the PNA Leadership Team.
  • As items are purchased from the approved grant list, the project close-out form is filled out by the person requesting reimbursement. They will attach digital copies of receipts and photos and then submit all to both the NEP Project Coordinator and the PNA Chair. The NEP Project Coordinator submits the reimbursement request to Iris at the City for reimbursement.
  • Reimbursement checks are then sent directly to the person who purchased the item(s).