Individual Details

Death

Charisse Diane Furr passed from this life gently and peacefully Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, at her home in Vancouver, after a long bout with breast cancer. Her husband, Dan, was at her side. Charisse was born Nov. 26, 1956, in Van Nuys, Calif., where she grew up and graduated from Providence High School. She completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees at Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles. She found her soul mate and life companion when she met Dan and they married in November 1991, in the San Juan Islands. Charisse was a project manager and human resources training specialist for Hewlett-Packard Co., where she developed diversity and leadership training programs. She moved from the Bay Area to Vancouver in 1990 to work at the HP site. She retired from HP in December 2006. Charisse loved the outdoors, and was an avid gardener and hiker. She was a volunteer for Adult Literacy and other programs. In addition to her husband, Dan Berne, Charisse is survived by her mother, Madeline Furr; sister, Michelle Furr; stepdaughter, Aiyana (Mrs. Jake) White; step-granddaughter, Abby; and niece, Jessie Furr. She was preceded in death by her father, Andrew Furr. A memorial service for Charisse will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, in the Classical Chinese Garden, Northwest Third Avenue and Everett Street in downtown Portland. Contributions in memory of Charisse may be made to the Nature Conservancy.
Published in The Oregonian on November 8, 2009