John Gottfried Krautscheid

John Gottfried Krautscheid, 91, a resident of the Hillsboro community passed away at his home on November 7, 2025.

John was born on July 8, 1934 at Jones Hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was the oldest of ten children born to Gottfried and Rose Marie (Sahlfeld) Krautscheid. He was raised on the family dairy farm in Hillsboro, Oregon on the original Cornell Road. He attended 1st through 5th grade at McKinley School in Beaverton, a one-room schoolhouse heated with only a woodstove that he was in charge of tending daily. John then attended St. Cecilia Catholic School in Beaverton. He went to Beaverton High School, served as Student Body Treasurer and graduated with the class of 1951. John then attended Oregon State University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Soil Science in 1955. While at OSU he was a member of Phi Kappa Fraternity and a member of the Soil Club.

John enlisted in 1955 and served his country in Germany in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was honorably discharged in 1957.

John met his future wife (Norma) Jean Callam through his sister Marianne, while Jean and Marianne were attending Providence Hospital School of Nursing. John and Jean soon began dating and 18 months later they married on September 26, 1959, at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro. They originally lived in Hillsboro, Oregon. They moved to Longview, Washington when John got a job with the Soil Conservation Service where he worked for three years. John then got a job selling Real Estate with Bump, Meyer and Green and they moved back to Hillsboro.

They had nine children: Mike, Kelly, Tom, Steve, Patrick, Bill, Jay, Kay and Linda. All of John and Jean's children attended St. Matthew Catholic School. They also had two informally adopted children: Pat Johnson of Portland, Oregon/Hawaii and David Wendroff of Seaside, Oregon/Florida.

John worked for the Washington County Department of Assessment and Taxation for over 34 ½ years, retiring in 1997. John served for many years on the St. Matthew Parish Pastoral Council and on the Board for The Sisters of St. Mary's of Oregon. John was also involved with the Knights of Columbus. He was a 73 year member of Hillsboro Council #1634, and had been past Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight and District Deputy. He was the Financial Secretary for the Knights for 40 years and was installed in the 4th degree. John loved the Knights not only because of the comradery and fraternity but for how they give back to the community. John and Jean also volunteered for many years at the St. Matthew Conference of St. Vincent de Paul where he also held several elected positions.

John enjoyed golfing, bowling and slow pitch softball. He was a coach for Hillsboro Little League Baseball and Hillsboro Girls Softball for over 29 years. John also enjoyed deep sea fishing and salmon fishing. He was a great gardener and shared his garden's bounty with his family and friends. John enjoyed doing his doodly dos in the Oregonian newspaper (the crossword, word search and jumble). He was a gifted sandwich and banana split artist.

John and Jean enjoyed overnight trips to Lincoln City with the family. They traveled abroad visiting Europe, Canada, China, Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. They also went on many cruises, including one in 2009 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary; they made all the arrangements and invited the whole family along. Highlights included them being chosen to participate in the Newlywed Game and a wild swimming pool incident. John and Jean also had a vacation home on Easy Street in Rockaway Beach for many years.

John was the guy who always had a joke or a story at the ready. He loved talking and being engaged in conversations with anyone and everyone. He lived by a strong moral code and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Both he and Jean went above and beyond to attend every event or activity of family members. John was always a generous man, giving much of his time, his talents and his treasure.

John always looked forward to family gatherings, especially the holidays. John enjoyed dancing with his wife, dining out and visiting with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. John loved golfing and went twice a week for 25 years. John and Jean loved going out to eat and were two of Wendy's best customers. They especially enjoyed hamburgers and frosties.

He is preceded in death by his son Mike and grandson Brad, his parents and two sisters, Kathy Pfeifer and Rita Nussbaumer.

He is survived by his loving wife, Jean, eight children and their spouses: Kelly and Dave Van Horn of Lynnwood, Washington; Tom and Terri Krautscheid of Camas, Washington; Steve and Lorretta Krautscheid of Beaverton, Oregon; Patrick and Kristi Krautscheid of Eloy, Arizona; Bill and Tina Krautscheid of Aloha, Oregon; Jay and Corina Krautscheid of Banks, Oregon; Kay and Tobias Brick of Redmond, Washington and Linda and Emily Krautscheid-Pratt of Hillsboro, Oregon. Eighteen grandchildren: Michael, Nikki, Beth, Mark, Nick, Kevin, Stephanie, Megan, Andrea, Ashley, Lindsey, Kaitlyn, Sam, Nate, Eli, Andrew, Alexis and Xander. Nineteen great-grandchildren: Dakota, Emery, Fallon, Gaige, Brooklyn, Zachary, Madison, Noah, Sophia, Zariah, Xacari, Mira, Enzo, Esme, Anna, Abby, Zelda, Geralt and Mace with two more expected soon. He is survived by seven siblings: Liz Kirk of Palm Springs, California; Marianne (Jack) Hemstreet of Beaverton, Oregon; Rose Marie (Mike) Jespersen of Keizer, Oregon; Agnes Nussbaumer of Hillsboro, Oregon; George (Kathlyn) Krautscheid of Redmond, Oregon; Dave (Pam) Krautscheid of Portland, Oregon and Jim (Marylou) Krautscheid of George, Washington. A brother-in-law, Don Nussbaumer of Hillsboro, Oregon and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. John is also survived by five Godchildren.

Donations in remembrance of John may be made to St. Matthew Catholic School, info@smcshillsboro.org 221 SE Walnut St. Hillsboro, OR 97123 (503) 648-2512 or St. Matthew Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, stvdphillsboro@gmail.com 475 SE 3rd Avenue Hillsboro, OR 97123 (503) 693-7528.