Alice Carmel McNassar

Alice McNassar Obituary

Alice Carmel McNassar died Saturday, July 27, at her Portland home following a long illness. Born on June 8, 1943, in Burlington Iowa, Alice was the fifth of 11 children born to John Leo McNassar Sr. and Mary Katharine McNassar. During her early years she moved with her family to Denver Colo., Cheyenne, Wyo. and in 1954 to Portland. Her family located in Southeast Portland where they were members of St. Phillip Neri Parish for many years. Alice attended St. Philip Neri Elementary School, St. Mary’s Academy (1961) and earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Education at Portland State University.

During college Alice spent a year of service in Dillingham, Alaska with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest teaching and caring for native Alaskan children. Following her college graduation she began a life long career in education. She began teaching in the Portland Public School District and went on to serve as a teacher for 25 years at schools including Scott and Glencoe in East Portland and Sitton School in the St. John’s area. Her career with PPS included an additional five years serving in the District’s Curriculum Department.

Throughout her life Alice focused on her family, especially her many nieces and nephews, enriching our lives with her humor and love. And she spent many hours quietly helping wherever she saw someone in the family or a friend had a need. We all loved her and will miss her dearly.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Ann Zenner and Sister Mary McNassar, SNJM, brothers John and Patrick McNassar, 6 nieces and nephews, sister-in-law Jeanne P. McNassar and brother-in-law Thomas Newman. She is survived by her sisters Maureen Zehendner (S. Michael), Jeanne McNassar (Joseph Digman), Kathleen Stewart (Randall) and brothers James, Thomas (Jane) and Michael (Heather) McNassar, 69 nieces and nephews, and partner Daniel Kelner.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Alice will be held on August 2, 2019 at 11 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 2408 SE 16th, followed by burial at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, SW Gaarde St. and SW 115th Avenue, Tigard.

Alice’s family would like to thank the Palliative Care and Hospice Care teams from Providence who cared for her during her illness. We are also grateful to Sonya DeAngelo who cared for her at home.

If desired, memorial contributions may be made to Providence Cancer Center, Earl Chiles Research Institute, 4805 NE Glisan St, Suite 2N35, Portland, OR 97213, or St Francis Dining Hall, 1131 SE Oak St., Portland, OR 97213.

Services

Mass of Christian Burial

Friday

August 2, 2019

11:00 AM

St. Philip Neri Catholic Church (Tigard)

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One reply on “Alice Carmel McNassar”

I met Alice when she arrived at Holy Names College at Fort Wright.Â We had many a laugh along with another Friend Janet Skelly.Â For a time we also enjoyed the Novitiate together.Â One week-end she talked us into visiting her Sisters Mary, in Portland and Ann in Eugene.Â The car broke down at Biggs Junction and we stumbled over a cow in somebody’s yard trying to get help.Â all we could do was laugh..With Alice you could count on plenty of laughter. We stayed in touch through the years and when I arrived back here in Portland to Mary’s Woods Alice was here to welcome me. That was when I became aware of her illness. Alice brought so much love, laughter and insight to life and I am eternally grateful for her friendship. A little aside, our Dads knew each other, Mr. McNassar sold shoes to my parents store in Okanogan, Wa. and our families came from Burlington, Ia.