Cass Carmichael

Cass Carmichael, 71, lost her long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis on April 14, 2023. She

passed away in Klamath Falls, Oregon surrounded by her family. She will be remembered as a collector of

all things unicorn, a movie enthusiast, an adoring grandmother, and an avid animal lover (that could

often be found trying to take her caged pet birds into stores, and not just pet stores). She will be greatly

missed.

She was born Cathy Berdeen Lakner on September 19, 1951, in Townsend, Montana to John Martin

Lakner and Berdeen Fay Lakner (née Hacker). The youngest of three girls, she grew up in Helena and

graduated from Helena High School in 1969. She had one son, Sean Derek Eby. A fiercely independent

woman, she moved to Oregon with Sean in 1978 to start a new life and legally changed her name to Cass

Eby Carmichael. Although she lived in numerous locatons throughout the Portland-Metro area, she

eventually settled down in Aloha, spending over 20 years there.

Cass was very outgoing and made friends everywhere she went. She loved chatting with friendly faces

and helping people. Perhaps this is why being a cashier at Fred Meyer for many years was so special to

her. She was extremely fond of her many neighbors and her friends at the Aloha Swim Center. An artist

and crafter, she loved sharing her ideas and projects with others. She was thrilled to craft and socialize

with the group known as the Material Girls at the Hillsboro Community Senior Center.

She spent the last six months of her life at her son’s house in Klamath Falls watching Father Brown,

enjoying the scenery and wildlife out of her window, listening to her granddaughter read books aloud

and play the piano for her, and trying to convince everyone to go to McDonald’s to get her chocolate

chip cookies and a Diet Coke (somehow it just tasted better from McDonald’s).

She is survived by her son Sean, daughter-in-law Flora, granddaughters Hailey and Genevieve, and sisters

Patricia Wyss and Louise Braunbeck.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation to the Hillsboro Community Senior Center or

volunteer at your local hospice. We think nothing would honor Cass’s memory more than sharing your

time enjoying a craft project with a stranger on hospice. And more than likely you’ll make a new friend,

the way we know Cass would have.

A virtual service will be held April 29, 2023, please contact her family for information or link.