Margaret Eleanor Greene ("Meg") Bladine 1920 - 2026

Margaret Eleanor Greene (“Meg”) Bladine, born and raised in San Angelo, Texas, died March 4, 2026, with family at Sunset Hill Care Home in McMinnville, Oregon. She was born April 10, 1920, the second daughter of Ossie W. and Irene (Schley) Greene, and, like her father, lived almost 106 years.

Family photos depict Meg as a happy, lively and confident child growing into a beautiful young woman with lots of sparkle. She attended San Angelo public schools and graduated from Texas State College for Women (now Texas Women’s University) after studying and preparing to become a concert pianist.

Fate intervened, sending her to Portland, Oregon, in November of 1942, for a job with IBM. On a blind date, she met a young Naval ensign – Philip N. Bladine (Phil) – who proposed on their second date. Phil and Meg were married on February 14, 1943, just before Phil shipped out to the Pacific Theater.

Meg returned to Texas for the birth of their daughter in 1944, and Phil was steaming toward Japan aboard a Naval ship when the first atomic bomb was dropped. After his discharge, they settled in McMinnville, where Phil rejoined his brother, Jack, in ownership of the Telephone-Register newspaper (now The News-Register) that their father, Lars Bladine, had purchased in 1928. Their son, Jon E. "Jeb," was born in 1947.

Meg worked full-time, later part-time, in the newspaper offices, and was secretary of the company. That life evolved into more permanent roles of family homemaking, community volunteer, civic leader, and lifetime partner with Phil in their extended Oregon and Texas families.

Meg became a leader in the Community Concert Association, American Field Service exchange program, Scouting and youth swimming. She and Phil were active members of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, early supporters of Gallery Theater, sponsors of programs assisting migrant workers, and among the founders of Michelbook Country Club. She was a member of PEO Chapter Y and of DAR, served for years as a trustee of Linfield University, and in 1977 was named McMinnville Woman of the Year as selected by previous winners.

Meg and Phil both loved the diverse friendships they formed at home, through the state newspaper industry, in local and state political activities, and on world travels. She nurtured all those relationships with genuine interest in all people and an uncanny ability to remember even the smallest details about their lives and families.

In work and play, they enjoyed their lives to the fullest extent: boating, walking, golfing, good works, civic affairs, socializing, and turning casual acquaintances into long-time friends. For decades they were a two-person "welcome wagon" team for new people in the community. They also survived a pair of unsuccessful congressional campaigns by Phil in 1974 and 1976, and both ultimately were relieved at not needing temporary moves to Washington, D.C.

Meg, a cancer survivor, helped others in recovery programs for those who had undergone breast cancer surgery. She lost her spouse of 65 years when Phil died in 2008 from complications of a stroke suffered in 2003, and since 2015 had lived with extraordinary care in the Sunset Hill Care Home.

Meg was predeceased by her parents; husband; sister, Sarah Jane (Greene) March; daughter, Pamela Jane Bladine; daughter-in-law, Michelle Malone Bladine; nephews, William Lars Bladine and William Gary March; nieces, Phyllis Bladine Anusich and Patricia Bladine Griffin; and their families.

She is survived by her son, Jon E. (Jeb) Bladine; grandchildren, Philip Ossie Bladine (Lacy Gray Bladine) and Chelsey Bladine Nichol (Brent Jason Nichol); five great-grandchildren, Kingsley Eric Bladine, Sloane Angelina Bladine, Axel Mark Bladine, Nora Belle Nichol and Oliver Jon Nichol; nephew, John Abe March IV (Bub); and many grand-nephews and grand-nieces.

The family wants to recognize and thank long-time caregivers, Nicole VanDeVeere and Maria Rogers, for their many years of love and care to our dear mother and grandmother.

A service, followed by a reception, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 28, 2026, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in McMinnville. In honor of Meg’s early life as a skilled classical musician, pianist Mike Strickland will play a 30-minute prelude to and a special piece during the service.

Arrangements are by Macy & Son Funeral Home of McMinnville, with entombment in the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Meg might be directed to the Soup Kitchen at St. Barnabas or the new Linfield University scholarship program for local students.