Karen's spirit was ever present and one felt it immediately....she was joy, wisdom, acceptance, purity, unconditional love. In that tiny little body was the energy and bravery of a giant. I was blessed to share a wonderful friendship with Karen..she has left this world but remains with me and many....her gifts to us remain in our hearts and minds. God speed.

There are so many beautiful things to say about this amazing woman. Karen was my therapeutic recreation boss for 10 years at Gurwin. I can honestly say she is the reason I was able to spread my wings and become a director elsewhere. She was full of wisdom, teachable-moments, life experiences that we were all in awe of, and funny stories that would make us laugh. She was blessed by her loving family that we all seemed to know because she shared them in stories with all of us. Karen was full of energy, shared her love of dance, music, the Healing Mind Workshop, and was one of the best teachers I have met. We are all better humans for being in her path and I am grateful for this journey that led me to her.

Both Karen and I were professional Recreation therapists and were dedicated to service to seniors. She was dynamic and inspirational in creating wonderful events and special moments to uplift spirits and create community. She lived in the moment, with love and smiles for those around her. She is missed. Her memory lives on in all who met her and loved her. Blessings to her family. Kathy Cruz Alier 

It was an honor being Karen’s coworker and friend. She was my TR director for almost 15years up until her retirement. She literally taught me all I needed to know in our field. It was from her I gained confidence to further my career and passion for what we do. She was selfless, loved her family more than anything and her face lit up at the near mention of her grandchildren. To say she was proud of them would be an understatement. She loved to share stories, had a great laugh and a smile which will stay with me forever. My life was better for knowing her and I am grateful I was able to share with her what she meant to me a few months back. We all know she will be surrounding her loved ones with energy and her beautiful light.

My mother touched the lives of so many people both personally and professionally. She reached the pinnacle of the Therapeutic Recreation field and recently was honored with a scholarship named after her.

As a mother and grandmother, no one loved more and she was so dedicated to our family. She worked so unbelievably hard to be sure that Dale and I had everything that we needed. She was so playful and always available to both Emily and Jason. Mom truly had an impact on their development and she absolutely helped shape who they are today as young adults.

As a professional, she launched, developed so many in the field of recreation. There have been dozens of professionals that have reached out to us to let us know how much impactful she was in their career.

As a friend, well that will take too long. I will let her endless friends and relationships speak for themselves.

I love you and miss you, Mom but I know that you will always be here surrounding us with your love and your bright light.