Karen Lynn Kakazu

Born in 1958 on Travis Air Force Base, California, Karen was the eldest daughter of James and Doris Kakazu. As the child of an air force officer, she moved with the family five times by the 8th grade, mostly to out-of-the-way places in the middle of the US, before the family finally settled in Midwest City, Oklahoma. There, she followed her passion for music, singing in the church and school choirs and becoming an accomplished pianist. She also enjoyed theater and drama, participating in school musicals and displaying her vocal talents on the stage. She graduated from Midwest City High School, then attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating with her B.S. in Computer Science from Washington University’s engineering school in 1980.

After graduating, Karen moved to San Diego to launch her career as a systems engineer in the aerospace and defense industry. In a primarily male-dominated field, 4’10” -tall Karen forged a 44-year career in the San Diego area working for General Dynamics, SAIC, BAE Systems, and Northrop Grumman. Throughout her working career, she also continued to independently enhance her knowledge and skills by taking many continuing education courses through the University of California extension program. She shared her expertise by co-developing and instructing courses at work, as well as writing articles for technical journals.

Outside of work, Karen continued her passion for music by auditioning every year for and singing with the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus. She was a dedicated member of this chorus for over 30 years, performing in countless concerts in La Jolla and around San Diego. Karen also loved reading, history, and in her later years, followed English Premier League soccer (after becoming familiar with soccer watching her nephew Cory play in many youth games).

Karen is preceded in death by her father, James Kakazu. She is survived by her mother, Doris; sisters, Janice (Tim) and Linda (Steve); nephews, Cory (and Xiao) and Aaron; and niece, Caris.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on October 12, 10am, at El Camino Memorial – Sorrento Valley, 5600 Carroll Canyon Rd., San Diego, CA 92121.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus (see https://www.ljsc.org/donate/ ).