Charlene "Gay" Joachim

She was born on January 8, 1951, to James and Anita Capra in San Francisco, California, where she attended school during the racial unrest of the 1960s—a time that deeply impacted her in many ways.

When she was a high school senior, something remarkable happened. Knowing that God was holy, she began to feel the weight of her sin and wondered if God truly cared.

In December 1968, she began a pen pal relationship with a Navy guy, Roger Joachim, who was stationed in Iceland. In his very first letter, he shared his belief that Jesus was sent by God to be our Savior.

As their correspondence continued, she realized this young man had a relationship with God that she didn’t yet understand. Not long after, she was invited to a Bible study, where she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior—a decision that set the course for the rest of her life.

Roger and Gay got engaged through the mail and were married on March 7, 1970. The Lord led them to Key West, Florida, where their first son, Jared, was born in May 1972. When Roger was honorably discharged, they moved to California, where Jacob was born in April 1975 and Bethany in April 1978.

In August 1979, they moved to Damascus, Oregon, and welcomed their youngest son, Tim, in January 1980.

Gay and Roger became deeply involved at Damascus Community Church, and their children attended Damascus Christian School. Gay served faithfully as a Sunday school teacher, a women’s Bible study facilitator, a part-time secretary to Bob Watt, and an assistant in the bookkeeping office.

In 1991, she became the secretary of Damascus Christian School—a role she held for 12 years. After leaving that position, she poured her heart into the Stitch ’n Share ministry, the MOMS ministry, Precepts Bible Study, and the women’s ministry team.

Our mom was best known for her heart of prayer. She carried thousands of requests to the Lord on our behalf. She knew how to mother us in both childhood and adulthood and modeled a life of quiet servanthood. Though she suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis, she never complained. We are proud to be her children and desire to carry on her godly legacy. There was nothing she wanted more than for her siblings, children, and grandchildren to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

Gay is survived by her husband of 55 years, Roger; her children, Jared (Kelly), Jacob (Talia), Bethany (Michael), and Tim (Laura); and her siblings, Babe (Sam), Raye (Ricky), and Rick (Marlene). She was a deeply beloved Grammy to 13 grandchildren, who brought her immense joy.

Gay was passionate about missions and faithfully prayed for beloved missionaries. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made through https://dcc.breezechms.com/form/gj-mission

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2025 at Damascus Community Church (14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus, Oregon), with a “tea party” reception to follow.

If you are unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed at:

https://youtube.com/live/c77NV47fh2M

Gay was clear about what she wanted shared at her passing:

“When I die, I don’t want people to talk about how great I was, but that I was a sinner saved by grace.”

One of her favorite verses was:

Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”