Longtime SBCTA Board Member, and former Needles Mayor, Dr. Ed Paget passed away on May 21, 2024, leaving a legacy behind him.
Dr. Paget served as the Mayor of Needles from 2010 to 2018 and then as a Councilman and Vice Mayor from 2018 to 2022. Ed served as the city’s representative on the SBCTA Board of Directors during his entire tenure on the Needles City Council.
Paget graduated from the University of Oregon’s medical school in 1965. He spent a year as an intern at Minneapolis General Hospital and then began a surgical residency in Rochester, Minnesota, at the Mayo Clinic. He served a year in North Dakota with the Air Force as a general surgeon, then transferred to Travis Air Force Base in California and completed his surgical residency after tours in Alaska and Nebraska.
He resigned from the Air Force after 10 years of service and moved to Needles in 1978 where he started his medical practice. Paget first became interested in the Needles community when he landed at the Needles Airport on a cross-country flight in 1967. He was a key figure in the development of the Needles Air Charter-Air Ambulance service. In 1997, he accepted an offer to work at the Kwajalein Marshall Islands U.S. Army base as a general surgeon. Dr. Padget returned in 2006 and resumed his practice in Needles and began working with the emergency room at Colorado River Medical Center. In 2012, Tri-State Community Healthcare Center was founded, and Paget was selected as the medical director.
Dr. Paget was a dedicated community member. He was instrumental in the renovation of the historic El Graces on Route 66 and the famous Green House in Needles, as well as volunteering countless hours on the sidelines of local athletic events to provide care for injured athletes. Paget was also very supportive of the annual Colorado River Round Up Rodeo, where he was recently honored as the Grand Marshall in 2023.
Mayor Paget was known for his friendly and kind demeanor, as well as his dedicated service on the SBCTA Board of Directors, making the 3-hour, 200-mile trip every month to attend Board meetings. “Dr. Paget was a strong advocate for Needles, who will be remembered for his legacy of service to the community. I always enjoyed working with him as a council member, SBCTA Board Member, and civic leader,” said SBCTA Board President Dawn Rowe.
Dr. Ed Paget is survived by his wife Janice and their nine children, as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 2:00pm in the Needles Elk Lodge #1608 at 1000 Lillyhill Dr, Needles, Ca. A church service will also be held Saturday, June 22, 2024, at 11:00am at in the St John the Evangelist Episcopal Church at 2020 J Street Needles, Ca.
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