Margaret “Meg” Mary O’Neill, 40, of Salt Lake City, Utah, passed away in a tragic accident on April 2, 2023. Meg was born on Oct. 3, 1982 and was raised in Castro Valley, California. She attended the University of California San Diego and received a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Politics and Public Service. She later earned a Masters in Teaching from Colorado College.
Meg’s life was devoted to education, advocacy, and adventure. Following completion of her undergraduate education, she spent a year further igniting her passion for climbing and outdoor exploration in New Zealand. She carried this flame with her upon her return, as she spent the next seven years teaching Outdoor and Environmental Science with Yosemite Institute/NatureBridge and Outward Bound. She later shifted her path into the classroom, spending several years teaching middle school science at the Utah International Charter School. Most recently, she had undertaken a position as STEM Director at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salt Lake. During this time, she has also served as Assistant Director of Embark Outdoors, an organization designed to empower refugee young women through outdoor education and sport.
One of Meg’s greatest joys was introducing youth to the limitless opportunities for exploration and learning that the outdoor world has to offer. She believed in teaching resilience through challenge and adventure. It is impossible to measure the impact of Meg’s teaching and mentorship, as she has inspired so many to embrace these lessons and instill them in others.
Amongst her family, friends, and climbing community Meg was known for her outgoing personality, inclusive nature, and contagious excitement for rock and ice. She found happiness in hosting meals and could rarely, if ever, be beaten at a board game. She frequently welcomed friends and their canines into her home that she shared with her two fur children, Keyah and Possum. Each weekend, Meg could be found exploring the routes less traveled, sometimes even wearing a tutu.
Meg is survived by her parents John and Mary O’Neill, her sister Jennifer O’Neill, her nephew Finnegan Drews, and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. She is preceded in death by her grandparents John and Anna O’Neill, and Earl and Marie Skagen, her brother-in-law Theodore J. Drews, and uncle Thomas O’Neill.
Services were held at City View Mortuary on Saturday, April 15, 2023. A Celebration of Life is being planned for Meg’s community and students on May 6 and 7. Well-wishers may visit www.cityviewmortuary.com.
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