Man recalls woman's gift of life in 2006, days before she was murdered

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Man recalls woman's gift of life in 2006, days before she was murdered in unsolved case
Published: Thursday, August 05, 2010, 10:22 PM     Updated: Thursday, August 05, 2010, 10:33 PM
Heidi Fenton | The Grand Rapids Press Heidi Fenton | The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- The last time he saw Renee Pagel will forever be etched in Phil Salliotte's memory. He in a hospital gown, moments before kidney transplant surgery, and Pagel, his donor, across from him in the hospital hallway with her ever-positive attitude.

"As I pulled away, I gave her a thumbs-up and she said, 'I'll see you later, buddy,'" Salliotte recalled of that day, July 31, 2006.

That was his last glimpse of Pagel, 41, a mother of three, registered nurse and teacher at Kent Career Technical Center. As Salliotte lay in the hospital recovering from surgery, Pagel returned to her Courtland Township home, where she was brutally stabbed to death five days later, on Aug. 5.

Friends gathered Thursday at a local restaurant on the fourth anniversary of Pagel's murder to remember the woman with the uplifting presence and a legacy of caring.

They remain haunted by Pagel's death, and the fact there's been no justice in her case.

Kent County sheriff's investigators have identified her then-estranged husband, Michael Pagel, as the only suspect in the case. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime stemming from the case. Michael Pagel and his attorney have rejected the assertion that Michael Pagel was involved in the murder.

Suspicion centered on him because the two were going through an acrimonious divorce that was to be finalized days before the homicide.

Though Salliotte had attended past celebrations of Pagel's life, on Thursday he spoke of what Pagel meant to him, and of her life-saving gift.

His daughter, Caitlin Salliotte, had been a nursing student of Pagel's at the time she began research on renal failure, from which he suffered. Pagel, he said, noticed the pattern of Caitlin's writing topics. When she learned of the family's plight, she told Caitlin she planned to be tested as a possible donor. Phil Salliotte at that time was on dialysis and desperately in need of a transplant.

"I was just dumbfounded someone would want to do that," he said, recalling his surprise at Pagel's offer and the eventual test results that showed her as an almost perfect match. "It really shocked me because here it was, a total stranger, asking if she could help me."

Joyce Schaner, who had known Pagel since the two were 18 and enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College, said her friend was just that-- a sacrificial giver. She hopes that thoughtfulness will far outlive the memory of Pagel's tragic death.

"She was very giving and kind and compassionate," Schaner said. "It's something I'll never get over."

E-mail Heidi Fenton: hfenton@grpress.com

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/08/man_recalls_womans_gift_of_lif.html