Fern Marvel (Hackenjos) Kaehr

Fern Marvel (Hackenjos) Kaehr, 84, of Lynden, WA (formerly Berne, IN), passed away at 8:20 pm on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Highgate Senior Living in Bellingham, WA. Fern was born on April 11, 1941, in French Township, Indiana -- the 6th child of Andrew and Silvia (Kohler) Hackenjos. She married Ronald Kaehr on October 18, 1964 at the Apostolic Christian Church, Bluffton, IN. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ron, in March of 2007, her brothers Glenn, Myron, Carl, and her two sisters Phyllis Smith and Nilah Fischer. Left to mourn her passing are one sister, Dema Hackenjos of Iola, KS; three sons, Kenyon (Donna) of Iola, KS, Jason of AZ, and Aaron (Joe Musielak) of Bow, WA; and one daughter, Denise (James) Chatterton of Lynden, WA. Fern had eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Fern will be remembered most by the hundreds of birthday, graduation, and wedding cakes that she made for neighbors and friends in her hometown of Berne, IN. She also judged cake decorating at the 4-H fair and eventually became a participant at the Northwest Washington Fair and received 1st place for one of her decorated cakes. She was also the society editor for the Berne Witness newspaper and wrote for the Berne Tri-Weekly. One of her favorite things about working at the Tri-Weekly was her “Cook’s Corner” spotlight, where she interviewed a local “cook of the week” and shared their picture along with several of their favorite recipes. Additionally, she edited The Berne Shopping News. She enjoyed calling random people on Thursday nights to see if they knew in which ads the two pots of gold were hidden that week. She was always happy when they did know, and they enjoyed winning $25! Fern enjoyed crafts. She made baskets, painted ceramics, and made handmade greeting cards. She collected many things, such as dolls, nativity sets, Longenburger baskets, teacups, paper dolls, and, most recently, Little Golden Books. She was involved in many community clubs over the years, including Keep Trim Club, Mother’s Study Club, Caring Cluster, and Herb Club, to name a few. She was also an avid reader. There will be no services, per her request, but a private burial service will happen at a later date at MRE Cemetery in Berne, IN.

Fern Marvel (Hackenjos) Kaehr

April 11, 1941 - January 13, 2026