Karen Kyoko Takamatsu was a strong, inclusive, generous person, who made it her mission to bring people together. Anyone who had ever been invited to Zoo Lights by her can confirm this. She made friends wherever she went, made people laugh, feel welcome, and feel cared for. She lived with diabetes, survived three separate bouts with cancer, plus partial blindness, and never complained. Rather, she persevered in trying to make life better and easier for others through her life’s work as a paralegal, through her character, and in being a mother and grandmother.
She was born in Denver on April 12, 1947, was raised in North Denver, attended North High School, and graduated in 1965. She then attended CU Boulder, graduating in 1969 with a B.A. in history (emphasis in Renaissance and Reformation). After that, she worked as a part-time magazine editor, part-time ESL teacher, and wrote/edited various newsletters during a brief period freelancing. However, she spent most of her adult life as a paralegal, doing estate planning and assisting elderly and disabled clients in need. In recent years, she had served on the board of directors for Colorado Living Alternatives, supporting adults with developmental delays, who wish to become more independent.
She left this world in the wee hours of the morning on October 20, 2020, in the company of her daughter, Midori McKinley, her sister, Francie Marfia, brother-in-law, John Marfia, and her best friend, Linda Moon. She also left behind a son-in-law, Lance McKinley, and two grandsons, Benjamin and Joshua McKinley. Her parents, Tooru and Jean Takamatsu, as well as her brother, Joseph Takamatsu, left before her – hopefully, they are reunited now!
Karen had, it seemed, thousands of friends – she was the hub that held many spokes in place. Most of North America received that quirky Christmas card each year, as she was excellent at keeping in touch. Childhood playmates were a part of her life throughout, as were college roommates, co-workers from every place she had ever worked, neighbors from everywhere she had ever lived, plus her daughter’s friends. If you knew her at all, she probably tried at least once to dress you in a CU sweatshirt, feed you sushi, or load you into a car for a road trip to L.A. or Kansas City. She was popular and charismatic, loved telling stories, and being the center of attention (though she would deny it!). Over the past couple of decades, she had traveled quite a lot – by air, by road, by cruise – always with friends or family, or in order to see friends or family. She was a rare person who had no “distant relatives,” and no “acquaintances.”
As for her personality, she made deadpan sarcasm an art – her dry wit was kind of legendary. She wore antlers for most of the Holiday season. She was considered by some to be a veritable font of “useless trivia,” especially if she destroyed them at Trivial Pursuit… and she probably did. She was a reader and life-long learner, especially when it came to her fascination with Teddy Roosevelt. She was self-deprecating about her cooking (“I’ve never killed anyone with my cooking, but…”), and her gardening skills (“The only thing I’ve ever kept alive is my kid.”). If she had down time, she liked to color, do scrapbooking (which she denied enjoying, but she kept doing it anyway) and in her younger days, she was skilled at sewing. Most of all, she relished being “Grammy,” and spent most of her spare time pursuing grandmotherhood, and all of its joys!
Here are some interesting facts about Karen, that not everyone knew:
• She had a fairly serious bird phobia, particularly chickens.
• She spoke Spanish.
• She played the piano.
• If she received a fruitcake for Christmas, she actually ate it.
• Tom Robbins was one of her favorite writers.
• “Sunday Morning” was her favorite television show (this is how she learned recently what
“a Karen” is).
• Her other favorite television show was “Wild Wild West.”
• Roy Orbison was her favorite musician, and “Crying,” her favorite song.
• She adored yellow roses.
• Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” was her favorite piece of classical music.
• She was a big fan of WWF wrestling in the 80s.
• She liked fried pork rinds. For some reason.
To say that she will be missed does not do justice to just how much she will be missed. It’s tempting to feel that there’s a hole in the world now. But Karen filled all gaps with friendship laced with delightful weirdness, so let’s do that in her honor, and let it comfort us.
A simple graveside service will be held for immediate family in the coming week. In 2021, when friends and family are able to gather safely and comfortably, there will be a celebration of Karen’s rich life, with plenty of light, music, and funny stories!
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