Paul Robert Chase

Paul Robert Chase, 83, of Portland, Oregon, passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026, surrounded by his family in his home. He will be remembered for his loving heart and sense of humor. He was born in Austin, Minnesota, on July 25, 1942, to Appolonia (Lickteig) and Leonard Chase.

Paul is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mary Angerman; first wife Christie Curtz; son Robert Chase (Dawn) and daughter Jaime Chase (Scott); step-daughters Jeanne Theroux (Bret) and Debbie Van Dooremolen (Jon); grandchildren Cara, Payton, Elizabeth and Jakob; sister-in-law Bev, nephews Keith, Kevin, Craig, brother-in-law Art, nephews Daniel, Matthew, Luke, sister-in-law Peggy, nephews Christopher, Joseph, Stephen, Nicholas, Samuel, and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Appolonia, brothers Leonard and Charles, sister Diane and great-nephew Levi.

Paul worked in construction all of his life and freely shared his skills with his many beloved friends and family. His final employment was as The Carpenter (an all-encompassing term for the many “hats” he wore) at Schnitzer Steel Company.

In his free time, he trained for and ran at least twenty marathons, climbed Mt. Hood a number of times (once with his step-daughter, Debbie), and back-packed with friends (once with his daughter, Jaime). He teamed with friends to do the Pole, Pedal, Paddle in Bend, Oregon, where, in various years, he pedaled his bike from Mt. Bachelor to Bend, ran, paddled a canoe, or did the sprint at the end.

He considered his crowning achievement to be his solo bike-ride from Anacortes, Washington to Austin, Minnesota for his twenty-fifth class reunion at his cherished Pacelli High School.

When Paul retired, he designed and built an addition (first floor shop, second floor master bedroom) on his house from the ground up (concrete-pour, framing, plumbing, electrical wiring, sheetrock, arched windows). His friends and family happily helped, in “payback”.

Paul and his wife, Mary, traveled frequently in their RV, sometimes to Minnesota, where he introduced Mary to some of his numerous relatives in his hometown, Austin (the home of Spam). He reveled in the fact that he had fifty-four first cousins. Paul and Mary loved to go to the Benedictine monastery in St. Cloud where one of his Lickteig uncles was a brother.

In later years Paul often showed off an old photograph of his mother with her fourteen Lickteig siblings, taken in the early 1940s before the men went off to war. Other treasures were his ’62 MGA roadster and a massive collection of World War II die-cast airplanes, which he spent many hours enjoying with his son, Robert.

A practicing Catholic throughout his life, Paul was a long-time member of St. Francis parish. While there, he designed and, with the help of a friend, constructed a life-size cross which was then used in the Good Friday services. During that time at St. Francis, Paul and Mary met on a Sunday during the Kiss of Peace. When they moved to St. Clare parish, Paul constructed another cross, which was used for some time. Good Friday was the most important day of the church year for Paul. How fitting that he died on Holy Thursday evening and the news went out on Good Friday!

Viewing, Rosary and Prayers: Friday, April 17: 1:30-4:30pm @ Gethsemani Funeral Home, 11666 SE Stevens Rd., Happy Valley, OR 97086. Funeral Mass with Reception Following: Saturday, April 18: 11am @ St. Clare Church, 8535 SW 19th Ave., Portland, OR 97219. Burial: Monday, April 20: 12:30pm @ Mt. Calvary Cemetery, 333 SW Skyline Blvd., Portland, OR 97221.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to honor Paul Chase may be made to Walk to End Alzheimer’s. You can use this website: http://act.alz.org/goto/paulchase