Obituary of William E. Kaer

William “Bill” Kaer June 12, 1932 - November 6, 2013 William “Bill” Kaer was born June 12, 1932 in Toledo, Oregon to William “Ed” and Esther Kaer. Bill’s older sister, Karen (Nelson) welcomed him. Soon thereafter Bill welcomed his younger sister, Kathy (Schmidtke). When Bill was very young, opportunity beckoned and Ed moved the family to Portland so he could work for Prudential Insurance. Esther passed away shortly thereafter and at age 11, Bill and his sisters had a new step mother, Dorothy. Soon Ed and Dorothy produced Doug Kaer. The four children remained close to this day. Ed ran a strict house and that meant that Bill, and his siblings, had chores each day after school. Bill graduated from Grant High School in Portland. Following graduation, Bill enrolled at the University of Oregon, and later, Van Port College (now known as Portland State University). A couple years into college the Army called and Bill enlisted and was stationed at Fort Sill Oklahoma. During his 8 years in the Army, Bill rose to Sergeant in the artillery division. Following the birth of his first child, Debbie (Starkey), Bill returned to Portland where he continued his studies at Lewis & Clark College while working nights at Rosenblatt’s. Rosenblatt’s was the men’s clothier and Bill remained a dapper dresser the remainder of his life. Shined shoes and a double Windsor knot in his tie were his trademarks. With his degree in business from Lewis & Clark College now in hand, and the birth of two additional children, son Steve (Kaer) and second daughter Kay (Moore), Bill started paper product sales for Crown Zellerbach. Crown Zee was one of the largest forest products companies in the USA. After establishing a great reputation for customer service and store displays, Bill moved to Georgia Pacific in a similar position. You can only sell paper so long and Bill had an offer from Dubois Chemical that was too good to resist. He sold water treatments for commercial building HVAC systems. These treatments prevented rust and mineral build ups that would ruin HVAC systems. Most of the building superintendents in downtown Portland considered Bill a friend. He would remain at Dubois for three decades in both sales and management before retiring in 2003. In 1977, Bill met and married Maxine. Together, they raised Ken (Kaer) and Andrea (King). This February (2014) they would have been married 38 years. Retired? Hardly! Bill still had too much energy so he started a second career, this one in residential real estate with Coldwell Banker Barbara Sue Seal. For the last decade of his life Bill served as a close confident of many families looking to buy homes. Bill was passionate about seeing that each family got the perfect house. Faith Bill’s faith in Jesus Christ grew steadily with his involvement at Montavilla United Methodist Church. When called upon, Bill preached several sermons to the congregation. Bill also became very involved in the Walk to Emmaus, a spiritual renewal weekend. After participating in a “Walk,” Bill continued to serve others in their “Walks” and ultimately served as a director and as a vice director for a couple of “Walks.” Bill credited his growth as a follower of Jesus Christ to his involvement with Montavilla United Methodist Church and Emmaus. Fishing, Camping and Coaching When he wasn’t parenting or working, Bill loved to fish. He seldom traveled without a fishing pole in the car. It was a simpler era where stopping at a fishing hole on the way to the beach was part of the fun of the trip. Camping was also a great part of the summers with the kids and grandkids. Tents first and then graduation to RVs! Coaching Little League and Babe Ruth baseball was also a passion of Bill’s. He enjoyed 6 seasons helping young men dream of the “big leagues.” Bill was quite a handyman, his experience and tools allowed him to make the remodeling changes he and Maxine desired in their own home. Family Bill is survived by his wife, Maxine, and his 5 children--Debbie Starkey of Spray Oregon, Steve Kaer of Lake Oswego Oregon, Kay Moore of Portland Oregon, Ken Kaer of Portland Oregon and Andrea King of Vancouver Washington. Additionally, Bill and Maxine count 10 grandchildren- Matt Starkey of West Richland Washington, Katie McMullin of Dallas Oregon, Molly Moore of Portland, Evan Moore of Seattle Washington, Jake Moore of Portland Oregon, Byran Murray of Vancouver Washington, Matt Murray of Vancouver Washington, McKenzie Kaer of Portland, Connor Kaer of Portland and Emma Kaer of Lake Oswego. There are three great grandchildren, Cole Starkey and Casen Starkey of West Richland Washington and Zander McMullin of Dallas Oregon. Service Information