Karen Lee Vardy Barrington

Karen Lee Vardy-Barrington, age 84, joined her Heavenly Father on February 22, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. A memorial service will be held in her honor on Saturday, March 14, at 2:00 PM at Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Lubbock, Texas. Karen Lee Ritchie, daughter of Clifford and Maxine Ritchie, was born in Modesto, California on February 15, 1936.

She grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where she lived in a four-generation household, including her grandparents, Martha and John Entwistle, and her great-grandfather Elias Martinson, who immigrated from Norway in the 1800’s. Following high school, Karen enrolled in Nursing School at Southwestern College in Dallas, Texas. There she met Richard Lee Vardy, an intern at Southwestern University Medical School. Karen and Dr. Vardy were married on October 20, 1955. The Vardys welcomed their first child, Richard Lee, Jr., and were subsequently sent to Germany where Dr. Vardy served as a Captain in the U.S. Army medical unit. While there, the Vardys welcomed a second child, Katherine Lea.

Upon discharge from the Army, the Vardys relocated to Lubbock, Texas where Dr. Vardy built a medical practice as an anesthesiologist, and Karen pursued and earned a Master’s Degree and teaching certificate in Bilingual Education from Texas Tech University. Karen taught English as a second language to migrant children in the Wilson ISD. Later, after welcoming their third child, Emily Anne, Karen began teaching for St. Christopher’s Episcopal School.

Several years after the death of Dr. Vardy in 1992, Karen was introduced to Dr. Morris Barrington by a mutual friend. She and Dr. Barrington were married in 1996, until Dr. Barrington’s death in 2006.

Karen loved languages, travel, and creative writing. She was a long-time member of Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Lubbock where she sang in the choir for many years.

She is survived by her son Richard Lee Vardy, Jr. and his wife Micheale; her daughter Katherine Lincoln and husband, Steve; her daughter Dr. Emily Deeb and husband, Sammy; four grandchildren, Rachel and Zachary Lincoln and Phillip and Thomas Deeb; her sister, Fran Roberts; and her brother Joe Ritchie.