Karen Lee Beck

Born on April 4, 1943, in Santa Monica, California, Karen was the eldest daughter of her family and a guiding light to her siblings: Ronald Wallace, Cheryle Phillips, Susan Davids, and Jennifer Ruez. A proud graduate of Venice High School, Class of Winter 1961, she embodied both grace and determination from a young age.

Karen's life changed forever on her birthday in 1975 when she met the love of her life, Larry Beck, at the Long Branch Saloon in Oceanside, California. He was in uniform. She was dazzling. After a bold, unforgettable first dance, the two began a love story that spanned nearly five decades. They married on September 3, 1976, in a traditional Marine Corps ceremony at Camp Pendleton with a union built on commitment, resilience, and laughter. With unwavering dedication, Karen supported Larry through the demands of military life, proudly standing by his side across stations in California, Arizona, South Carolina, and Virginia, and later joining him in retirement in Alabama and Maryland.

Karen was a homemaker, a secretary, and a housekeeper by profession—but her true vocation was nurturing others. She mothered five children: Catherine Powell, Ramona Davis, Marie Williams, Sara (Cheryle) Jungwirth, and Travers Beck. She was Nana to nine cherished grandchildren: Erica Woodcock, Ashley Allen Lothian, Victoria Powell, Lawrence Davis II, Michael Hill Jr., Carolyn Fields, Collin Lee, Eleanore Jungwirth, and Lilian Jungwirth. Her legacy continues through twelve great-grandchildren*, each a treasured extension of her boundless love.

Karen welcomed everyone. Whether it was her children’s friends, neighborhood kids, or young Marines far from home, she created a warm, safe space that felt like family. She was the collector of hand-written notes, school crafts, and any trinket gifted by those she loved. Her home was filled with tokens of affection and the energy of a life deeply lived and freely given.

She was elegant but never pretentious: hair always done, lipstick on, with just the right amount of sass. She had a gift for saying the honest thing with a twinkle in her eye and a laugh that could disarm even the most serious moment. Beneath her polished exterior was a heart that loved fiercely and unconditionally. Her presence was strong, her guidance gentle, her loyalty unshakable.

Karen lived with a quiet but profound sense of purpose: committed to loving, building family, and showing up, again and again, for those she cherished. She knew how to love across time, across generations, and across distance. Her greatest joy was found not in recognition, but in connection.

She is preceded in death by her beloved dog Mollie and lives on in the memory of her surviving husband, Larry; their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren; and her treasured dog, Miller.

She was the heart of her family; its center, its warmth, its rhythm. To be loved by her was to be truly seen. To know her was to carry her legacy forward.

Her love remains, as steady and eternal as the ocean tides she once walked along in California.

*Great Grandchildren: Travers Robinson-Beck, Chloe Brown, Aiden Hill, Aleeyah Beck, Jabreyah Beck, Beaux Davis, Cassidy Davis, Chase Davis, Wesley Woodcock, Timothy Wyatt Woodcock, Henry Woodcock, Eleanore Woodcock

A receiving of friends for Karen will be held Monday, June 9, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045, followed by a celebration of life at 11:00 AM.