East Wenatchee remembers former Councilmember Shayne Magdoff for years of service

EAST WENATCHEE — Long before Shayne Magdoff had a seat on the East Wenatchee City Council, she was already coming to meetings every month. She turned up at ribbon cuttings, open houses and festivals after she and her husband, Paul, moved to East Wenatchee in 2015.

Mayor Jerrilea Crawford recalled those early years in a tribute at the Nov. 3 council meeting. Magdoff died Oct. 28 in East Wenatchee, according to an online memorial. She was 77.

“I met them because they showed up at everything,” Crawford said. “They were eager to get to know their new community, and they never hesitated to get involved and contribute.”

Magdoff was appointed to the council in June 2018 and won elections in 2019 and 2023. Her fellow councilmembers selected her to serve as mayor pro tem, and she represented the city on the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center board. She also served on the Housing Authority and the Columbia River Homeless Housing Task Force. She resigned from her Position 5 seat effective Sept. 1.

Outside City Hall, Magdoff helped older residents and people in need prepare their taxes. She volunteered at Friends of the Library book sales that raised money for reading programs and gave her time to Sustainable NCW. She was among the original members of Our Valley Our Future and served as its treasurer for years, Crawford said.

Councilmembers shared their own memories after Crawford spoke. One recalled how readily Magdoff pressed her point in meetings with Waste Management and how hard she pushed for the city’s Arbor Day efforts.

Crawford said she had been reading the online tributes, where people kept returning to Magdoff’s kindness and the time she gave to others.

“She asked questions, she got to know people, and then she stepped up when she was needed,” Crawford said.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media