In Memory of Gene Christian

Gene Christian, an active partner of the CCC Foundation and long-term member of the Clackamas Community College family, peacefully passed away at age 58 on January 25, 2021. In the weeks leading up to his death, he was able to reflect on his life and expressed gratitude for his dear friends and colleagues. Gene was a long-time donor and advocate of our college, contributing to the arts, athletics and scholarships. Gene is survived by his wife, Michele, and their children McKenna, Harper and Trevor. Below is a message from Gene's family. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

As many of you know, Gene was invested in pouring into others and loved being surrounded by his friends and family. He sought to put the needs of myself, McKenna and Harper in front of his own.  He earned his Master’s Degree in San Diego early in our marriage as he was starting his 30+ year career in Estate Planning. He poured himself into his passion of assisting people with Estate Planning through his company Charitable Estate Planning NW. When he did take time for himself, he could be found fly fishing in the streams and lakes across Oregon with flies that he would tie. In his younger years, Gene loved playing basketball, baseball, camping and white water rafting with his family. He loved playing jokes on his family and neighbors and worked hard to bring a smile to every face he encountered.

Recently, Gene began to show some symptoms that were suspect of Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia.  His decline took a rapid turn in November of 2020, and in December of 2020, he was diagnosed with organ failure. He went on hospice services Christmas week 2020, and spent the last weeks of his life in bed surrounded by his immediate family. During this time, he remained emotionally strong, and our family was able to witness the mental strength and peace he exuded as he felt his body getting ready for his final Journey into Heaven.

We will miss him dearly, and there will always be a hole in our lives where his physical being once was. We can now say with joyful hearts that he is no longer suffering and is now with Jesus. We have no doubt that, upon his arrival into Heaven, he was told “Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have served Me well.”

Due to the current status of Covid-19, we will not be holding a funeral service or public gathering for him. Post-Covid we plan to have a family celebration and sprinkle his ashes along one of the many rivers, or saltwater flats he liked to fish.

Gene was a giver, and throughout his life he had always verbalized that, upon his death, his body be donated to science so that others, or the medical community, might benefit. We registered him with the OHSU Brain Bank before he passed so that we could honor this wish. With his Dementia diagnosis and age at death, the doctor at the Brain Bank expressed that his brain would be a wonderful contribution to helping further research on early onset dementia. Knowing the results of what they ultimately discover will help our family with closure as well.

If you feel called to want to do something for our family during this time, I know Gene's deepest desire to honor his life would be that you complete your own estate planning documents, if they are not finalized already. This would bless him to know that your family can have the peace that whenever death comes everything will be taken care of. If you feel called to give in honor of Gene, please make any monetary donations to the OSHU Brain Bank using this link. 

May God’s peace be with you all during this time, and know that we are all looking forward to seeing Gene again someday in Heaven. Friends, our family is together this week so I look forward to connecting with you in the weeks ahead. Blessings to each and every one of you.