In Loving Memory

Karen Dayle Duncklee was born August 3, 1949 in Denver, Colorado. She was the oldest of three kids, with a younger sister Barbara Ann, and a baby brother, Mark. Her father, O.J., was a fireman and her mother, Barbara, was a homemaker.

Karen went to University of North Colorado in Greeley, where she majored in education. Freshman year, she met a group of girls whose friendship would span the next 40 years. They all lived together in a house nicknamed "Big Yellow". She met Charles Hal "Chuck" Johnston in college and they were inseparable. After graduating, they got married and moved to Colorado Springs. The welcomed their son, Dayven Hal, in 1979. She got a teaching job and in her spare time, she enjoyed playing golf and tennis and spending time with her family. She loved watching Dayven in all his sporting events and was extremely proud of his accomplishments. She lost her husband, Chuck, to cancer when he was just 48 years old. A devastating blow to be a widow and single parent at such a young age.

Karen taught special education for over 30 years before retiring. After that, she still taught a couple of days a week, helping 2nd and 3rd graders with remedial reading. She was so wonderful with kids and loved being able to help them. Karen was always on the go and loved staying busy, even during retirement. She volunteered in the local soup kitchen, serving meals to the homeless. She participated in a weekly bridge club and even played in their annual tournament. She was also a barista at a local coffee shop. But her true love was scrapbooking. She sold Creative Memories products and often held "crop night" parties in her home, as well as a bi-annual scrapbook retreat for all friends and family who shared the hobby.

Las Vegas was one of her favorite destinations and she went there every spring break with her girlfriends. They usually took in a show and enjoyed shopping, eating and just people watching on the strip. Driving up to Estes Park every year to see the Aspen leaves change colors was something she always enjoyed. She loved crossword puzzles, Sudoku and scrabble. She always had several games of online Scrabble going at once. Her favorite hobby of all was, of course, scrapbooking. She had endless albums of family and friends over the years and was diligent about chronicling all the names, dates and details of each event. They're a wonderful tribute to her life and we love looking back at them now.

She was thrilled over the arrival of her grandson, Wyatt Hal. Even though we always lived far away, I tried to make sure she didn't miss out on the daily happenings of his life through phone calls, email, webcam and this blog.

Karen was soft spoken and had a quiet dignity about her. She loved her friends and family passionately and had so many people who loved her too. A true tribute to the kind of life she lead. You know how this story ends...

It's been interesting poring over her personal effects and photos. In a way, I feel like I'm getting to know her even better now that she's gone. Or at least in a different way. I've enjoyed the photos the most, looking back at the life she lived and the various roles she had - daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, grandmother.

Since she wasn't a part of our daily life here in Canada, I find myself almost forgetting at times, then something will remind me again. I think about her every single day. There are so many things I want to ask her and I know there will be many times I'll want to pick up the phone and tell her about something silly Wyatt said or did. I realized as much as I miss Karen, I'm really sad for Wyatt, who will never know his paternal grandmother, except through photographs, but mostly for Dayven, who will never again be able to share the events of his life with his mom.