Ever since she was a child, Gretel Bohn says she has had a strong desire to have a positive influence on the world.
“Growing up, I was always taught that the most important part of life is leaving a positive impact on the people you meet,” she said. “My mother always told me the reason we are here on earth is to help others, and to make their lives better in any way we can.”
After graduating from Camas High School in 2009, Bohn initially thought a career in nursing would help her fulfill that mission. But while attending Clark College, she realized that working with patients who are suffering from a serious illness or injury was not where she was meant to help.
That’s when she contacted Ron Brown, owner of Brown’s Funeral Home in Camas. Currently the oldest family-owned funeral home in Clark County, it has been owned by the Brown family since 1965 when Ron’s father, Gordon Brown, purchased it from Fred Stoller in 1965.
“[Ron] took me under his wing and showed me everything, little by little,” said Bohn, who began an apprenticeship at Brown’s in January 2013 as she studied in the funeral service education program at Mt. Hood Community College. “The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.”