Joan E. Krahmer

Krahmer, Joan Elizabeth 78 April 10, 1935 Feb. 24, 2014 Joan Elizabeth Krahmer, 78, of Hillsboro, died Feb. 24, 2014. She was born April 10, 1935, in Hillsboro to Gail and Evelyn Karns. She was predeceased by her father, Gail in 1950; mother, Evelyn in 1997; and sister, Grace in 2002. She was baptized at Orenco Presbyterian Church and attended Orenco grade school and then Hillsboro High School. As a child, she had a love of horses and roamed the fields of Orenco.
Joan earned a B.S. in Social Science from Portland State University (1958) and an M.A. in Social Science (1960) from Pacific University. Joan was a well-known figure in Hillsboro and the surrounding Washington County communities, both because of her "Taking Charge" column in The Hillsboro Argus, which she had penned weekly since 1980, and her many years of teaching, community activism and working for the state of Oregon. She was a frequent speaker at Hillsboro City Council meetings.
She taught language arts and social studies to seventh grade students from 1958 to 1960, the American Problems course at Hillsboro Union High School from 1960 to 1967 and then moved to the Beaverton School District as a research project coordinator. She went on to become an advocate and preventive care specialist for Washington County Mental Health and was one of the first local leaders to call for a shifting of dollars to prevention education. She also lead one of the county's first parent education programs called, "Birth to Three."
From 1985 to 1988, she served as executive director of the Oregon Life Belt, which advocated for the statewide law for mandatory safety belts. From 1988 until her retirement in 1998, she worked for the State of Oregon as a program coordinator developing the first statewide Children's Injury Prevention program. She served on the Governor's Task Force on the White Conference on Families, the Governor's Task Force of Mental Health, the Governor's Advisory Committee on Medical Assistance for Underprivileged, Metro Coalition for Bicycle Education, Oregon Bicycle Helmet Coalition, Adolescent Suicide Prevention Task Force and Professionals in Partnership Domestic Violence Outreach Advisory Committee.
In retirement, she spent much time with friends and family at her California bungalow home. She was an avid gardener and sought to be a good friend to many. Her four grandchildren, Hillary Krahmer, Zachary Krahmer, Katie Eros and Nicholas Eros were extremely important to her.
She is survived by her husband and life partner of more than 30 years, John Van Grunsven; children, Michael S. Krahmer and wife, Melissa, Krist J. Eros and husband, Terry and Donald L. Krahmer Jr. and wife, Suzanne; and grandchildren, Hillary Elizabeth Krahmer, Zachary John Krahmer, Katie Elizabeth Eros and Nicholas Jason Eros. A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 3, 2014, at Orenco Presbyterian Church, 6420 N.W. Oelrich Road, Hillsboro. A private interment was held in Fir Lawn Cemetery.
The family suggests contributions to the American Diabetes Association.