Kaaren Marie Mahoney

Kaaren was born September 5, 1942 in Washington, D.C., to Francis and Rita Appel. She was the first of their six children.

Kaaren attended St. Ann’s Parish School in Arlington, Virginia and was valedictorian of her eighth grade class. She graduated second in her class from Marymount High School, also in Arlington. During high school, she met her future husband, Edward Joseph Mahoney, when he gave her and some friends a ride home from school. They started dating when she was 15 and he was 16.

Kaaren aspired to be a lawyer or Russian interpreter at the United Nations, but with six kids in the family she had to put herself through school. She attended Trinity University and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for two years while working to pay tuition, but ultimately dropped her studies to work full time.

Kaaren and Ed continued dating through most of their college years. They married January 4, 1964 at St. Ann’s. Kaaren and Ed soon welcomed their son, Mark Edward, and daughter, Laura Lynn. They lived in Arlington until 1973, when Ed’s job as a manager at J.C. Penney Co. took them to Wilmington, Del. They moved again in 1977 to Morrisville, Pa.

Kaaren went back to work just before Laura turned one and held a series of administrative jobs. She managed to juggle work and family at a time when society didn’t offer a lot of support for working moms. But she always aspired to more, and when her kids were in high school she decided to go back to college. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Thomas Edison University in 1984.

With her new degree, she became a manager at a mortgage bank in Somerset, N.J., overseeing a large staff that processed loans. She led her team through the height of the savings and loan collapse of the 1980s and its aftermath.

Ed and Kaaren moved to Texas in 1988, when J.C. Penney moved its corporate headquarters to the Dallas suburbs. They built their dream house overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard, where they kept their beloved sailboat, Drambuie.

The first year in Texas, Kaaren took a tax preparation class so she could complete their complex income tax return herself. This launched a 30-year career as a tax preparer at H&R Block. She loved serving her clients year after year, and her family had to persuade her to retire in 2018 when she was 76.

Her work schedule was part time, giving her plenty of time to join the local tennis league and volunteer with charitable organizations. She was an active volunteer at Rockwall County Newcomers & Friends and St. Vincent de Paul Society, president of the Chandler’s Landing Homeowners Association, board member of Friends of the Rockwall County Library, and treasurer of the Rockwall County Historical Foundation.

Kaaren and Ed also found plenty of time for adventure. In the early years of their marriage, when the kids were little and money was tight, they went on many camping trips from Nova Scotia to the Rocky Mountains. Then they fell in love with sailing. They spent many weekends with their boat in Barnegat Bay, N.J., and vacations with friends sailing in the Florida Keys, British Virgin Islands, and other parts of the Atlantic and Caribbean.

After Ed retired in 1998 they shifted to RV life, traveling throughout the United States to visit more than 100 national parks and seeing friends and family along the way. Kaaren especially loved Crested Butte, Colo., Bryce Canyon National Park, and their time as National Park Service volunteers at Harper’s Ferry, Cape Hatteras, and Whiskeytown.

They retired the RV in 2014 and moved onto international travel with their group of friends from the San Martiño Winery in Rockwall, seeing much of Europe, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, and more. Her favorites were Barcelona, Bordeaux, and traveling through the Panama Canal aboard a small cruise ship.

Kaaren was skilled at sewing, knitting, crocheting, and crafting. She made her own wedding dress and those of her bridesmaids, many of her own clothes, and tons of outfits for her children when they were little. Her legacy lives on in the many baby blankets and sweaters she made for her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Faith was a central part of Kaaren’s life. She was a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake in Rockwall for 32 years, where she served as a lecter and was active in Bible study. She said her rosary daily and attended Mass every week. Even when camping in the middle of nowhere, she always found a church to attend.

Kaaren was a loyal and thoughtful friend to so many. From her group of best friends she met at St. Ann’s and Marymount through each workplace, neighborhood, or organization she joined she accumulated friends and faithfully kept in touch with them. Most recently, she was busy forming new friendships at Highland Springs Senior Living in Dallas, where she and Ed moved in 2021.

Kaaren’s many siblings, children, nieces, and nephews called Kaaren the Camp Director for her skill at keeping everyone connected and hatching plans to gather together as the family spread out across the country. She was the keeper of the family address and birthday list, and planner of family events.

As Kaaren struggled with health issues in recent years, including diabetes, strokes, and cancer, she remained optimistic and determined to overcome her difficulties. She was resolute until the end.

Kaaren is survived by her husband of 58 years, Ed; son, Mark, of Raleigh N.C.; daughter, Laura, and her husband, Joel Schwartz, of Sacramento, Calif.; and grandchildren Benjamin, Kieran, Adair, and Jameson. She is also survived by siblings Francis Appel Jr. of Kailua, Hawaii; Kevin Appel of Arlington, Va.; Christine Appel-Bucierka of Alexandria, Va.; Maribeth Appel Wilkins of St. Leonard, Md.; and Dixon Appel of Adel, Iowa; as well as sister-in-law Carol Ann Mahoney of Falls Church, Va.; and brother-in-law John Mahoney of Franklin, Tenn. She also is survived by 11 nieces and nephews, and 11 great nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, December 9 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 1305 Damascus Road, Rockwall. A reception in the social hall will follow the Mass.

Kaaren’s family respectfully asks that no flowers be sent due to allergies. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Helping Hands Rockwall, 950 Williams St., Rockwall, TX 75087, https://rockwallhelpinghands.com