Karen in her own words:
Karen earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a major in Biology at the University of Western Ontario. Eager to combine her science background and creative skills to benefit wild spaces and conservation, she returned to Ottawa to complete a public relations diploma at Algonquin College.
Karen was lured to BC after working with the CPAWS-Ottawa Valley Chapter for two years. Outside of CPAWS she is obsessed with travel, photography and knitting the perfect sock.
"She loved her family. I remember having supper with her and her brother Jimmy. She was so proud of him. They seemed to be such 'chums'-I don't know why that word comes to mind but it seems to describe their ‘best friends' kind of relationship."
"She was a vegetarian and loved the Bo Kong Restaurant. But she was a very mellow vegetarian, always wanting the best food for the person she was sharing a meal with. She would find something to eat anywhere and love the meal but what was most important to her was the happiness of her meal-mate."
"Karen was such a thoughtful and considerate friend. She sent my partner and I a housewarming gift, a plant basket when we arrived in Toronto starting our new lives. It lives in our kitchen and everyday when I look at it I am reminded of her kind spirit, and how she connected us with home in her amazing way."
"Karen was definitely a wanderer who walked to the beat of her own drum. In the 3 years that I had the privilege to call her my friend, she constantly surprised me. She was someone I couldn't quite figure out. Once I stopped trying I finally saw beyond her quiet, reserved exterior that hid a truly adventurous spirit who loved to travel, rock to the coolest bands, knit the chicest toques, bake the best chocolate vegan cheesecake and give the best hugs. She always had the wittiest comebacks especially when I'd go into her office to kick her chair or rant about the latest issue that irked me."
"Karen was also a really good sport and would always lend a hand if needed. I convinced Karen to go on a road trip to Bamfield on her 31st birthday weekend to help me give a presentation at the marine station. I felt bad making her work on her birthday. But, we had a great time freezing our butts off at midnight trying to light a campfire on Pachena Beach, hiking 3 hours in the torrential rain, wading through hip deep water because I was too lazy to go back the long way and wandering Brady's beach looking for the perfect tide pool."
"She also loved books! She introduced me to my favourite book, 'Time Traveller's Wife', on our last CPAWS trip together before I left to go back to school. On that trip I'll remember her nervous giggle every time I accidentally rocked the kayak (and that high pitched scream on a particularly big wave) and her laughter as Dora and I tipped our kayaks later that night. We gazed up at the stars and talked about life, boys and our futures. It makes me particularly sad because Karen and I talked about going on more road trips together this summer. But I will always treasure the many trips we did do together."
"She was also a talented knitter. She knit so many beautiful things - sweaters, hats, scarves, socks, bags...she inspired the entire office to knit before it was a chic past time. She taught me to knit my very first toque probably because she was tired of me stealing her grey toque to wear around the office. I would always bring in my latest project and get her to "fix" it. She was always patient but she'd tease me a little just to get a rile out of me."
"We talked before she left on her trip to Africa. She was really excited and looking forward to wandering the streets of Paris for a few days before heading to Kenya. We talked about all the museums, churches and cafés she'd visit. And of course we talked about the elephants in Africa. Karen and I shared a love for elephants and sea otters. She promised me she'd wave to the elephants for me."
"Karen, I'm going to miss your quirky giggle, your witty comebacks, your love of animals, your hugs, your head on my shoulder....I'm just going to miss you. But I know that you are waving to elephants in wilderness heaven. "
"On the Friday morning before she left we took the sea bus together to our staff meeting at Sabine's house on the North Shore. She spoke of the things she still needed to do - go to the bank and get some euros, go back to the travel agent and get a copy of her travel insurance, because she had to give it to the tour operator. I told her she was amazingly calm for such a big exciting trip. I was looking forward to the pictures she would bring back and to hearing her stories."
"She told me she was excited to sleep under the stars in Africa, but worried that she wouldn't see any of the animals up close. She promised to keep an eye out for cool bugs for me, and wondered just how one packs for Paris *and* Nairobi?"
"I was always amazed at how she could take a file folder of emails and other documents and turn a fairly complex story into a press release for us in what I always thought was record time. She taught me the proper format for a press release, not that I can remember because I learned to rely on her to get the right the first time."
"Karen always wore her socks in the office and just before she left she had knitted a really nice pair of brown socks with diamonds-we were all really impressed that the diamonds were the right size. She crocheted a maroon scarf that she gave to me."
"She loved to drink tea-she always boiled the kettle first thing in the morning. When we were in the Okanagan, she bought lavender tea at a lavender farm near Oliver. She loved dark chocolate and her favourite flavour was Madagascar. She also really loved Oat Fudge bars from the little shop by the library."
"The weekend before she left for Africa, she locked herself out of the office by mistake and had to walk home in her socks in the rain with no keys, shoes or wallet. She called me the next day and asked if I could come to the office by 7:15am so she could get her stuff before she caught the floatplane to Victoria. I drove in to the office that day so she could get her stuff, and then gave her a ride home. We talked about the trees that were blossoming in the West End and how she likes really rainy days because then she can stay inside without feeling guilty about being inside on the weekend. She bought me a Purdy's chocolate bunny to say thank you."
CPAWS - British Columbia Chapter