Karen Green

1951-2020

South Portland- Karen passed away peacefully on October 2, 2020 due to complications of endometrial cancer. Karen was born August 14, 1951 the daughter of Richard E and Patricia (Jarvis) Peterson. She was married to Stephen E. Green for 51 years. She grew up in South Portland and was a 1969 graduate of South Portland High School.

In the summer of 1968 fate stepped in when Karen met Steve while working as a camp counselor for the SP Recreation Department at Legere Playground. That would begin a 52 year love story. They were married on October 17, 1969 at Holy Cross Church. They welcomed three sons who became the center of their lives. They loved raising their sons in South Portland and being involved in their school activities and sports events. Karen and Steve were thrilled with the arrival of three grandchildren from 1998 – 2000.

As a teenager Karen always dreamed of travel and adventure. After their family had grown, she and Steve set out on memorable vacations to the National Parks. They loved hiking in Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Yosemite, and both the North Rim and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Their favorite park was Maine’s own Acadia which they tried to visit at least once each year. The serenity of Sedona, AZ was another favorite spot. They enjoyed trips to Western Canada, Banff and Vancouver. But their hearts held a special connection with Kauai which they thought of as their second home and where they had many special vacations.

Karen always loved music and dance. She taught Jackie Sorenson Aerobic Dancing and participated in Zumba and Nia classes. She and Steve also enjoyed musical theater. They saw many Broadway shows in New York and Boston. They attended many performances at Maine State Music Theater, the Ogunquit Playhouse and Portland Ovations.

Karen developed a love for photography during their travels. She especially enjoyed photographing nature and beautiful landscapes. She would create photographic gifts for family and friends. More recently she became passionate in photographing birds and even had several pictures shown in the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Karen always loved working with numbers. After starting her work life cashiering at Shaw’s and being a teller then mortgage person at Maine Saving Bank, she held accounting, payroll, and office management jobs at Allen Management Co., New England Woman Center and Tranzon Auction Properties. She made lifelong friends at each job. Her co-workers would often go to her for information that happened several years prior; she had a great memory for details!

Growing up with two brothers, Karen loved sports and became a competitive person enjoying many ball games in their back yard. She has fond memories of her family trips to Boston to see the Red Sox and Celtics.

She was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her husband Stephen and their three sons: Matthew (and his wife Kathleen and their son Nicholas), Brian (and his wife Sylvia and their daughters Kelsey and Kaitlyn), and Andrew; her two brothers Richard Peterson Jr. (and his wife Carol), and Paul Peterson; and her closest and dearest friends CT, DD, MP, MR, RP, & SF.

There will be a private family burial service only.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to Nutcracker Syndrome research at

Nutcracker Research Foundation

404 Clover Street

Enters, PA 17319