Omaha state senator dies

Sen. Rich Pahls of Omaha has died after a brief illness.

First elected in 2004, Pahls served District 31 until he was term limited out of office in 2013. He subsequently was elected to the Omaha City Council before returning to the Legislature in 2021. He served on the Banking, Commerce and Insurance and Revenue committees.

Pahls was born Aug. 7, 1943, in Jewel, Kansas and earned a PhD in education from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He spent 32 years as a teacher and administrator in the Millard School District.

Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln announced Pahls’ death to lawmakers in an email April 27.

“He was a champion of Omaha and a selfless public servant who was a friend to so many here in the Legislature, and he will be greatly missed,” Hilgers said.