Karen Kristina Peterson

Karen Kristina Peterson passed peacefully into Life Eternal on February 23, 2019, at the age of 70. Karen is survived by her husband of 49 years, Alan, her three daughters Kristina, Arissa (Nick), Kathleen (Brian), five grandchildren Anders (14), Alan (13), Solveig (11), Abby (8), and Annika (due May 2019); siblings Michael (Masae), Marjie (Ed), James (Keiko), Marilyn; her sister-in-law Diane Peterson; and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Lola Stronach, and Alan’s brother, Gary.

Karen was born in Newport, Rhode Island and moved to Oregon when she was five years old. Karen is the second oldest of five children. Karen lived in Scholls and moved to Eugene in junior high. Karen graduated from South Eugene High School in 1967. Karen was an excellent student and participated in 4-H Club. She fondly recalls her childhood home in Scholls, where they had two horses, Molly and Ginger, and a donkey, Speedy. Karen was very close to all her siblings growing up and that bond continued into adulthood where family frequently gathered in the Portland area.

Karen attended Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University) in Monmouth, Oregon, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education and English literature. During her sophomore year, she met her husband, Alan. They married on June 14, 1969 and started their family shortly after. In 1977, a new job brought the family to Newport, Oregon, where they resided until 2013. Karen was a substitute teacher from the 1970s through the 1990s. Karen was an active member of Atonement Lutheran Church and taught Sunday school.

Karen was the matriarch and her life centered on her immediate and extended family. She was a devoted mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend to many. Karen planned many memorable family holidays and gatherings over the years. She always kept busy with projects. She was an excellent seamstress and could sew anything from formal prom dresses to Barbie doll clothes for her grand-daughters. She enjoyed many arts and crafts: tole painting, embroidery and crochet. Karen was a fixer and skilled at home remodeling, plumbing, landscaping and gardening. Karen spent many years on genealogy research for both sides of the family and chronicled her father’s Navy service, creating a lasting legacy for many generations to come.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, March 10th at 1:00 pm at Sunset Hills Funeral Home in Bellevue, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities in Karen’s honor: Lincoln County Food Bank (Newport, Oregon), Northwest Harvest, or Alzheimer’s Association.