Isaac Abraham Michaels

December 14, 1961 – December 31, 2025

Isaac Michaels was a kind and gentle soul. He loved cats, dolphins, the north coast and Dutch Bros double mocha freezes with whip and chocolate drizzle all around.

Isaac burst into the lives of Bill and Ann Shepherd as Kathryn Joy – “Kay Jay,” as she would lovingly be known – the last of five daughters on a snowy December 14, 1961.  Her “Joy” came from family friend Dr. David Newhall, then chair of the Portland State University Philosophy Department, who delighted in lecturing on the Joy of Living.  And Joy she did bring for many years, graduating from Robert Gray Elementary and Wilson (now Ida B. Wells) High schools.

Kay Jay was a gregarious youngster who helped shy peers emerge from their shells and fully engage with classmates and neighbors. She was active in Portland Junior Civic Theater during her grade school years. With older sister Jennifer, Kay Jay was one of only two female delivery persons for the Oregon Journal evening newspaper, and after selling the requisite number of new subscriptions – and with the advocacy of mother Ann,  a former reporter for the Journal – the sisters broke the sex barrier and enjoyed a trip to Disneyland with nine Greyhound busloads of boys!

Kay Joy joined the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) during her undergraduate days at the University of Portland, but the day before graduation she sprained her ankle and thus was disqualified from proceeding to boot camp.  Three years after completing her bachelor’s degree, at the urging of her supervisor, she went on to Western Oregon University and earned her master’s degree.  Thereafter, she invested years bringing peace to troubled souls as a child and family therapist and crisis intervention counselor at Albertina Kerr and other locations in Oregon and Washington State.

Isaac’s life journey took him through several transitions, resulting first in changing his name to Kathryn Martin Michaels, then ultimately identifying as male.  He started his gender transition in the early 2000’s and legally adopted the name Isaac Abraham Michaels.

Isaac had a deep love for the coast, and his last job combined that passion with his work as a child and family therapist and designated mental health professional (DMHP) at Willapa Behavioral Health in Long Beach, WA. Multiple hip replacements and other disabilities, including diabetes, congestive heart failure and COPD, led to early retirement.  He went to greet his beloved cat Kellyann, who had been waiting for him at The Rainbow Bridge, peacefully in his sleep shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 2025.

Isaac is preceded in death by his parents and oldest sister, Sally, and is survived by sisters Susie (Portland; wife – Kaite Thompson Chase), Jean (Tigard) and Jennifer (New York City); soulmate of 20-some years, Judy, aka Jill, Cory (Gresham); and cats Pixie, Dixie and Rascal.  The family particularly thanks Jill for her years assisting Isaac as his disabilities progressed.  In his honor, please toast him at your favorite Dutch Bros or Dairy Queen – or enjoy a can of black olives!  Memorial contributions would be welcomed at PFLAG-Portland or the Oregon Humane Society.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 7, at 11 a.m., at Lincoln Street United Methodist Church, 5145 SE Lincoln St., Portland, OR. A reception will follow immediately.