Karen Easterling

Born on July 18, 1948 in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of Lyman and Frances Henderson.

Karen had an artistic mind that saw beauty and possibility in everything she touched. She kept vast collections of seashells, crabs, carousels, owls, plants, sculptures, visual art, and all things Disney. Karen was particularly gifted in handcrafts— beading, drawing, sewing, painting, and visual arrangements. Every aspect of her home was meticulously placed to artistic perfection. Karen loved going to the seashore, carefully searching for and collecting the best shells and then arranging them into artistic displays.

Karen lived an active life as a merchandise Cast Member of the Disney Store in Annapolis, MD and later The Walt Disney World Resort. Outside of work, she loved going to the theater to see monthly shows at the Kennedy Center and was a music lover who regularly danced the night away at rock gigs of her two sons. For eleven years, Karen served as a Girl Scout leader for her daughter’s troops.

Karen is survived by her son Chris and spouse Blairlee, her daughter Katie, and son J.D., her daughter-in-love Becky, her grandchildren Kathryn, Elizabeth, Paul, Sean, and Jacob, and great-granddaughter Mirabelle. In addition, Karen served as an honorary mom to many of her children’s friends giving endless love and advice. She is preceded in death by her husband Carson “Rod” Easterling, step-son Bill Owens, and her brother and sister-in-law Ron and Pat Henderson.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held on August 15, 2026 at 1 PM at Karen’s home in Windermere. En lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Organization (www.alz.org) in honor of Karen Easterling.