Mary Clare McCarthy Fahlman

Mary passed away peacefully on February 23, 2023 at age 85.  Mary was the youngest of eight children and was preceded in death by her parents William and Clare (Tracy) McCarthy, and her siblings, Kevin McCarthy, William McCarthy, Robert McCarthy MD, John McCarthy, Thomas McCarthy (Father Tom McCarthy, SJ), and Margaret McCarthy.  Mary is survived by her brother Donald McCarthy PhD of Winnipeg, Canada.

Mary had 10 children, Robert Jr. (Larry), Mark, John, Jeff (Bud), Jean, Jim, Joe, Kim, Kelly and Mike, which in turn provided Mary with 19 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.  Mary loved her family dearly and spent her life’s work growing and nurturing it.  One of her children, John, and one grandchild, Jacob, preceded her in death. Mary is survived by many nieces and nephews throughout North America. 

Mary was born in Jamestown, ND.  The family moved to Vancouver, WA when she was 6 years old and shortly later moved to Portland, OR.  She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy High School, and then met and married Robert Lawrence Fahlman Sr.  Mary started her career as an administrative assistant at Merrill Lynch.  Bob and Mary built a wholesale produce business and started raising their large family, and ultimately had their own garden in the backyard of their Portland home to help feed their large family.  Mary was a stay-at-home Mom and was dedicated to raising her family.

Following Bob’s sudden death in 1978, Mary raised the family as a solo parent. Mary possessed an inner strength and determination to give her children the opportunity to pursue their desires in life despite the challenges of losing a father. Mary went back to college in the 1980’s to seek a second career and provide for her family, and then joined Portland Public Schools in the administrative department where she worked until her retirement in 2007.

Mary had a healthy sense of humor, enjoyed playing cards and spending time with family. She loved taking her children and grandchildren to Oaks Park for the amusement rides and to capture experiences that will be remembered forever. She often had her family over for large gatherings, good food, laughter, board games and yard games.  A packed kitchen, home and yard were typical on holidays and family gatherings.  

The family enjoyed many trips to the Oregon Coast. The Oregon Coast built great memories for Mary and her family, and the saltwater taffy store was a staple stop. Mary also sent her youngest children to Trout Creek Bible Camp every summer.  Mary loved to travel and traveled the United States and to several continents and countries.

Mary spent over five decades raising her family, beginning in the 1950s.  Mary remained committed to her faith and exposed and encouraged her children to be people of faith.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, located at 2408 SE 16th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, on Saturday, March 25^th at 10:00 a.m with a reception following in Carvlin Hall.

A private Committal service will take place at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mary’s Academy https://www.stmaryspdx.org/give or Trout Creek Bible Camp https://www.tcbc.com/donate/