Karen Dianne Derousie (nee Kennedy)

It is with profound sorrow that our family announces the passing of Karen after a long battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).

She is predeceased by her father Kenneth Keith Kennedy and her mother Marjorie Alexandra Kennedy (nee Ball). Karen is survived by her husband Danny, son David (Kathryn) and daughter Dana as well as her sisters Sandra (Paul) and Heather. She has been a close sister-in-law to Fr. William, John (Donna), Bob (Karen), Barbara and Diana (John).

Karen adored her grandsons Benjamin and Nicholas, who have been the source of much delight and happiness in the last eleven years. She has always loved children and has been especially proud of her nephews and nieces including Michelle (James), Danielle (Andy), Jason (Jen), Jessica (Taylor), Melissa (Eric), Shane (Jenny), Lisa, Michael (Laura), Shawna (Chris), Gary (Claudia) and Kevin (Jenn). She was delighted to be the great aunt of Sadie, Hunter, Grace, Arabella, Leah, Aubrey, Owen, Teagan, Aidan, Avery, Mason, Marlo, Bentley, Emma, Giselle, Kendrick, Carter, and Noah.

Karen was born in Toronto and grew up in Ancaster. After High School she attended the Mack School of Nursing, a natural fit given its focus on faithfulness and high standards. One of the highlights of her time at Mack was meeting and befriending people her age who shared not only her sense of fun but also the gratification that comes from caring for others in the company of other like-minded professionals.

She graduated in 1970. Her professional career started on a medical floor at Kingston General Hospital. Following a break when David and Dana were born, she worked in the Intensive Care Unit at the University of Alberta Hospital and then on a medical-surgical floor at the Riverside Hospital in Ottawa. Eventually, Karen decided to leave the profession to devote her full attention to raising the children.

Karen had a great many interests. She was the most graceful swimmer many of us have ever seen, and she enjoyed many other outdoor activities including cross country skiing (where once she unsuccessfully tried to entice a barred owl into a conversation). She enjoyed sewing and various crafts, music, reading, gardening, cycling, walking, and travel. But perhaps her greatest passion was quilting, partly because of the activity itself but also because it put her in contact with many kindred spirits.

Karen’s inner grace was once aptly reflected when she was described as having been “cut from silk.” The family has been moved by comments many have made since her passing that make it obvious that she was deeply loved. All who knew her, both young and old, responded to her sweet smile, happy spirit, warmth, gentleness, welcoming heart, supportive nature, kindness that knew no bounds, and readiness for a good chat and a good laugh over something funny, the nuttier the better. Especially touching were the words of a young friend of the family whose sentiment was also mentioned by others: “Whenever I think of my childhood, she is there somewhere!”

Alas, life was increasingly difficult for Karen the last few years as PSP gradually made it difficult for her to interact with her family and friends as she so much wanted to do, but even so the love she had for all of us always shone brightly.

That is what we will remember the most.

A Memorial Service will be held at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, 280 Beechwood Avenue, on Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 9:30 to 12:00PM. Followed by Karen’s interment in Beechwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, in memoriam donations may be made to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.