She and her twin brother Garrett were born in Orange, California to Michael Brief and Michele Howard.
As a young girl, Kami would help out at her dad’s record store in downtown Seal Beach and hang out with her friends in nearby Naples Long Beach.
She attended Wilson High School in Long Beach and focused on her education and cheerleading. She also enjoyed many boat trips to Catalina with her friends.
During her college years Kami began as an art major and then changed majors to speech communication. She attended Long Beach City College and San Diego State University.
During the summers she worked for a nursery selling plants all over the Los Angeles county area to various businesses.
After graduating from college, Kami and a friend backpacked in Europe. She also managed to secure a job as a nanny in Greece for two summers.
In 1992 she moved to Portland, Oregon and continued working and making friends as well as pursuing the English style of horseback riding.
In February 1995, Kami and Mike met while volunteering at the Saint Ignatius Spaghetti Dinner. Afterward, Kami’s friend told Mike that Kami was expecting his call, but this was untrue. An awkward phone call led to a first date and 2 ½ years later, they were married by the water in San Diego.
Kami earned her master of science in speech and hearing sciences from Portland State University in 2001. She specialized in the evaluation and treatment of children with cleft palate/craniofacial disorders, and pediatric and adolescent speech language development. She was part of the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Team and LEND Diagnostic Clinic at OHSU. Her educational training focused on the recruitment, placement and clinical teaching of graduate students and clinical fellows. She supervised and mentored students and clinical fellows and was passionate about fostering a legacy of child and family-centered providers. She also served as adjunct faculty at Pacific University and Portland State University.
Kami became a mother to Gillian in September 2005. Gillian later attended the Madeleine grade school and Kami served as room parent and assistant volleyball coach from third through eighth grade.
Kami enjoyed book clubs, trying out new recipes and restaurants, coffee shops, trips to Las Vegas, dance clubs, dancing at weddings, concerts, being politically informed and active, snowboarding, the ocean, but only if the water was warm, and most of all, quality time with family and friends.
Kami was predeceased by her father Michael Brief. She is survived by her husband Mike, daughter Gillian, brother Garrett Brief, mother Michele Kargman (Howard) and step father Tom Kargman.
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