Karen LoBaido

Born to Roslyn and Charles Pansarasa on March 17, 1943, Karen swapped her winters for her second home in Hilton Head, S.C.

She attended New Dorp High School, graduating in 1960, and married her childhood sweetheart, Salvatore J. LoBaido, two years later on Sept. 15.

The couple met at the former Prestel’s Candy Store in Dongan Hills as young teenagers, and more than six decades later, their marriage stands as clear testimony to a profound, kindred connection, said their daughter-in-law, Lillian LoBaido.

“There is a terrible quiet where her laughter lived, an empty seat at the table, where her meals, her warmth, her wit and her love nourished us all,” said Lillian.

“Three treasured sons will forever keep her essence safe and cherished within their hearts. Her life lessons will reside in them, their children, and their children’s descendants, for years to come. Never afraid to speak her mind, Karen was a pioneer of sorts; blazing her swath in real estate at a time when the industry was predominantly run by men,” she said.

She learned the trade working for others for years, and then, launched her own brokerage in New Dorp, Star Homes Realty, which thrived for five decades under her sole oversight.

Partners in life and in business, the LoBaido’s also owned and operated a successful home-building enterprise.

Gifted in a number of ways, Karen was an artist and a creator designing detailed plans for two consecutive homes in Dongan Hills, as well as a skilled painter and a sculptor, always finding inspiration from the natural world.

She found immense peace in her gardens and koi pond, which she and Sal personally landscaped and maintained.

Lillian explained Karen was an animal lover, an antique hunter, an avid reader, and a mindful, generous soul.

“But her gifts extended far beyond the tangible. Karen gifted her family a legacy of wisdom, candor, acceptance and grace not often seen,” she said.

Every holiday, big or small, she opened her home to her family, her friends, and anyone who needed a safe harbor. She always made room at her table for an extra soul in search of a warm hearth.

For a year, she hosted distant relatives who had been displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Her home was everyone’s home. She was a friend to so many, but always kept her precious circle of cohorts from childhood close by.

Her love of animals was legendary — her home often serving as a clinic to myriad sick creatures through the years, including a blue heron, a spider monkey and a squirrel.

Left to savor the impact of her significant life are her beloved husband of 57 years, Salvatore J. LoBaido, her cherished sons, Salvatore LoBaido (Lilly), Scott LoBaido (Jess) and Steven LoBaido (Stephanie), her loving siblings, Arlene Volsario, Linda Maluk (Steve) and Carl Pansarasa (Francis), and her brother-in-law Philip Licastri.

She was the quintessential Nanny to her adoring grandchildren: Sarah (Frank) Tedeschi, Michael LoBaido (McCall), Gabriel LoBaido, and Genevieve LoBaido, and her great-grandchildren: Farrah, Aubrey, Sonny, and Frankie.

She also leaves nieces and nephews: Linda, Peter, Lenora, Joseph, Maria, Kathy, Vincent, Philip, Eddie, Krista, Jackie, Jessica, Charlie, Jamie and Sasha, as well as her dearest friend, Kitty.

She was predeceased by her parents, her infant sister, Roslyn Rita Pansarasa, her mother and father-in-law, Mary and Salvatore LoBaido, her sisters-in-law, Louise Licastri, and Lenora Varriano, her brother-in-law Peter Varriano and her nephew Salvatore Licastri.

“Karen LoBaido died as she lived: with grace, courage and a never-ending sense of humor. She will forever be celebrated, grieved, loved and honored and her magnificent heritage will live on through her family forever,” continued Lillian.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Casey’s Funeral Home, 350 Slosson Ave., Castleton Corners. Visitation will be Sunday, Dec. 29 and Monday, Dec. 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.

A mass of Christian burial will be in St. Ann’s R.C. Church, 101 Cromwell Ave., Dongan Hills, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 10 a.m.

Burial will follow in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

In Karen’s memory, and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SICAW or any no-kill shelter of choice.

Lillian LoBaido contributed to this report.