OU student athlete and Army National Guardsman Jozsef Laszlo Matthews Pal died on March 7.
Pal was born on Feb. 7, 2002, in Springfield, Missouri, and graduated from Joplin High School in 2020. Pal joined OU after graduation but took a break after his first year to complete his military basic and specialized training.
According to Tobias Pal, Pal’s sister, Pal enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2021 to become a combat medic. As a 68W SPC Combat Medic, his responsibilities were to administer emergency medical treatment, trauma care and healthcare for soldiers. Pal was also tasked in training others in lifesaving techniques and was part of a scout team.
Pal and his friend Isaac Meyer were assigned to the same battery in basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Throughout their six months of training, Meyer said he learned much about authentic leadership through Pal’s actions.
During a 40-mile ruck march during a four-day field training exercise incorporated into basic training, Meyer found himself in front of the platoon. He recalled being proud that he finally got ahead of Pal. He looked back to see where Pal was, but he was nowhere to be seen, so he waited for him.
Pal had intentionally fallen to the back of the pack and began to motivate and help the other soldiers so they could all reach the end together.
“Pal’s actions that day perfectly embodied the kind of person he was: selfless, dedicated, and always putting others before himself ...,” Meyer wrote. “That moment stuck with me, and it taught me that true leadership isn’t about being the fastest or the strongest but about lifting others up along the way. Pal led by example, not just in words but in action, and I am a better person for having known him.”
Tobias wrote Pal focused on the engineering department at OU and aimed to work in robotics or aerospace engineering. However, after his service, he changed majors to pursue a medical career. Tobias said Pal was recently accepted into the OU nursing department as a physical assistant.
“None of us should have been surprised by his decision–Joe was always getting hurt, whether it was during football, track, or just messing around with his siblings and friends ...,” Tobias wrote. “He loved helping others regardless of how he did it, which is why he was so excited when he made the nursing program.”
After he came back from the military, Pal started back with the rugby team before walking-on to the football team. He played with them for a bit, but according to Tobias, Pal got tired of the "strict rules and pageantry" and went back to rugby.
Amanda Pal, Pal’s mom, wrote he didn’t just care when others were looking; he wanted the best for everyone at all times. He wanted everyone, especially the underdog, to be included in the fun. Pal did everything with 110% effort, both on and off the field, she wrote.
“He absolutely loved rugby. He would send us messages or call us every time he got a special recognition ...,” Amanda said. “He was especially proud when he found out he was ranked number eight in the country as a flanker for rugby in college.”
In memoriam of Pal, former roommates and friends Grant Hammonds and Danny Vargas hiked Mount Le Conte, a mountain in Tennessee the friends always wanted to climb together. They left a memorial at the summit in a secluded area — the photo of the three of them together overlooking a cliffside.
Joe Pal memorial on Mount Le Conte.
“He wasn't just your friend; he was essentially like another brother, too,” Vargas said. “He would genuinely care about your problems and whatever was going on in your life. To me, that's how I’ll always remember him.”
Pal donated his organs and tissues. Amanda said this decision was made because Pal had first gotten his license, and he had asked about organ donation. He ultimately decided that he wanted to become an organ donor.
“We knew that’s what he would’ve wanted,” Amanda wrote. “He would’ve given the coat off his back to anyone. He was the most selfless person I think I’ve ever met.”
On March 7, Pal’s Honor Walk was held in the OU Medical Center's hall. The Pal family chose to play “I’m Just Ken” because the siblings shared a love of the 2023 “Barbie” movie. Amanda put the phone up by his shoulder, started the song and repeated it.
As they rounded the first corner, the phone slipped under his arm, and the song was changed. The family could not change the song because of the distance between them and Pal.
“Instead of crying the whole way through, I was trying not to laugh as my girls were giggling behind me,” Amanda wrote. “It was exactly what Joe would’ve wanted. He hated to see us cry. He would’ve wanted us to laugh.”
Visitation for Pal will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday at Brown-Winters Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Miami, Oklahoma. A Celebration of Life for Pal is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Saturday at First Christian Church in Miami, Oklahoma.
Joe is survived by his parents, Joseph and Amanda Pal; his two sisters, Jessica Rae Pal and Tobias Racquel Pal; and his grandmothers, Judith Wachter and Debra Matthews.
This story was edited by Ismael Lele and Ana Barboza. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
