Catherine Mary Bachelor

After a courageous 5-year battle against metastatic breast cancer (after 20 years in remission), we said goodbye to our wonderful mom, sister, aunt and friend, Catherine Mary Bachelor, on January 29, 2022. The oldest of five siblings, Cathy was born in Bethel, Connecticut, graduated from Immaculate High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech Therapy from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut (1973) . In August 1974, she married Paul Bachelor and they made their way to the west coast first living in San Diego, CA. In 1979 they followed friends to Oregon where Paul and Cathy started their family. Cathy became a mom to daughter Jessica and son Ben while also building a career in product and services marketing. Her work life included many years at Tektronix and then employment with several design and engineering firms in the Portland-Metro area. Cathy was a founding member of the Portland Chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), a national 12,000-person organization focused on advancing the achievements of women working in commercial real estate. She was also a member of SMPS (Society of Marketing Professional Services).

Cathy created many great memories with her young family going on Northwest adventures in their pop-up travel trailer & exploring the beauty if the Columbia Gorge on family hikes. Just like in her youth, Cathy's later years filled her heart with wonderful east coast trips home visiting the Jersey shore with all her siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loved a story that created a good laughter, a nice glass of white wine and seeing Oregon sunshine as much as possible. Cathy was a warrior in her second fight against cancer and participated in clinical trials with Providence Franz Cancer Institute to better understand metastatic breast cancer. She felt it was important she helped discover advances in treatment for future breast cancer patients.

Catherine is survived by her children, Jessica Bachelor(Sean McClellan), Newberg, OR, and Ben Bachelor (Lily Peacock), Portland, OR, and her sisters, Terry Daly, Southbury, CT, Eileen Smith, Bethel CT, Joanne Roche (Michael), Norton, MA and many nieces, nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Paul who passed in December 2018, her brother Bill Ruehl, parents Francis and Mary Ruehl, and stepmother Eileen Ruehl. The family would like to give a special thanks to her niece, Kristina Garrison, and Magdalena with La Bella Vila, Tigard, Oregon, for her wonderful end of life care.

A memorial service will be held at on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 1pm at Skyline Memorial Gardens Funeral Home.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy of Catherine Bachelor may be shared at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/portland-or/catherine-bachelor-10566316 for the Bachelor family.