Brenda Jean Caddy

Brenda Jean Watson was born Oct. 28, 1949 in Ashland, Oregon. The second oldest of Herbert J. and Jessie P. Watson four daughters. Most of her childhood she lived in the Ashland area. Her teenage years were spent on a 20-acre family farm in the East Valley View area near Ashland. It was from this that Brenda developed a love for animals, participating in the 4-H Siskiyou Squirts Dairy Club. 

After graduating from Ashland High School, Brenda went to Medford Beauty School, but this only lasted a few months before, in 1969, she married Richard Bailey and they set off for an adventure working for the carnival. After traveling down the West Coast, across the South, and part way up the East Coast, Brenda returned back to Oregon divorcing Richard.

She worked at several jobs before meeting back up with an old school friend and in 1982 she married Harvey Yordy. They moved to Warm Springs, Oregon and Brenda began her love of horses. Brenda worked at Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge and volunteered for the Fire and Safety Department in Warm Springs. Harvey was a paramedic. This marriage didn't work out and they divorced. 

Brenda went on to work as a dispatch operator for the Warm Springs Tribal Police and later for the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. It was there in 1988 that she met and married Steve Caddy in Madras, Oregon. Together they moved to Stanfield, Oregon and she worked as a dispatcher for the Umatilla Sheriff's Office.

Brenda's love of horses was strong and she worked as a photographer for different horse shows in Pendleton. Later she and Steve moved to Christmas Valley, Oregon with her horses. Steve's three sons would spend summers with Brenda and Steve. This marriage also ended about 10 years later. 

Brenda's first love was the horses that she bred and raised. This was when she was the happiest, but she did like working with her hands, too. At one time she owned a small shop in down town Medford selling macrame plant hangers. At another time she had a ceramic kiln and hand painted a number of pieced which are still around today. Another time she had a placement ribbon business. She love to crochet, too. Always keeping busy. 

In 2007 Brenda moved to Albany, Oregon to be closer to two of her sisters. Later, her mother moved to the Albany area as well. Brenda worked for Albany Animal Hospital and Valley Merchant Police, but her working career ended in 2009 when she suffered a stroke. 

She settled into her North Albany home enjoying her flowers and making friends with all the cats in the neighborhood. She did have a fight with colon cancer in 2015 and won. On April 28, 2021 Brenda closed her eyes and went to sleep peacefully at home. 

She was preceded in death by her father, four aunts, an uncle and a number of cousins. She is survived by her mother Jessie Deubert of Albany; sister Linda Sue Brown spouse Phillip, of Albany and their 2 daughters; sister Sherry Routh, spouse Russel, of Albany and their 3 daughters; and sister Cindy Wood and her partner Jason Isam of Beatty, Oregon. 

AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home handled the arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com).

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