The following note is from Karen's friend Donna McCormick Sanson:

Karen was one of my closest friends growing up. She was pretty, smart, and gentle - and she always made me laugh. I envied her thick blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

She was born in Arizona but moved to Pittsburgh at a young age with her father and siblings following the death of her mother. She lived in a house two blocks from me which was owned by her three spinster aunts, whose lives were dramatically altered by the arrival of Karen's family. Her house was always quiet and extremely clean while mine was always loud and extremely cluttered. I think at times we both wished for a little of each other's lifestyle.

Every week day we walked to and from Regent Square school together. Since we went home for lunch, we had four times a day to talk, to plot, and to giggle. It was special time.

Regent Square was a small community, buffered on three sides by Frick Park which provided a never-
ending playground for every kind of adventure we could imagine. The two- block commercial zone included a movie theater, a pharmacy with a soda fountain, and an Isaly's with chipped ham and ice cream. We had the perfect place to grow up and Karen and I understood that.

Transitioning to Allderdice was challenging, but the girls from Regent Square were close and helped each other overcome our fears and shyness. Karen, Susan Kerr, Sallie Hipps, Martha King, Peggy Strang and I were always there for one another. Although we seldom had classes together, we would pass each other in the hallways, eat together at lunch, and some were lucky enough to be assigned to the same homeroom. We no longer had those long daily walks to and from elementary school, but Karen, Susan and I were driven each morning by my dad and picked up after school by Karen's dad - once again giving us plenty of time to talk, to plot, and to giggle.

After Allderdice, Karen went on to college and became a middle school teacher. She married, had two children and settled in Franklin, Pennsylvania, where she lived until her recent death. Over the years, I moved many times all across the country. But we remained in touch on birthdays and Christmas, as well as those times when I visited my family. Karen was very creative and made the most beautiful Christmas cards each year, a gift I have always cherished.

The last time we saw each other was at the 50th class reunion. We stayed at the same Monroeville motel, drove to Oakmont together, and attended the breakfast on Mt. Washington the following morning. Karen was still pretty, still smart and gentle, and still had that blonde hair and beautiful eyes. That's how I will always remember her.

In recent years I was not able to reach Karen by phone and the special holiday cards stopped coming. I heard on Friday from an acquaintance of her family that my dear friend had died on August 17. It's with great sadness that I share this news with all of you.

https://www.huffguthrie.com/obituaries/karen-proper