Obituary of Karen Ashbourne (Sawyer)

Karen died peacefully at home on March 28, 2022 after a four-year battle with cancer.  She was 68.  John, her loving husband and best friend for 50 years, was at her side.

 

Karen was “The World’s Best Mom” to Melanie, Russell, Michael and Charlie and grandmother to Joseph, Elizabeth and Evelyn.  She was the eldest daughter of the late Randall Sawyer and is survived by her mother, Edith, of Toronto, and sisters Diane, of Edmonton, and Linda, of Scarborough. 

 

Karen attended Loyola College in Montreal and graduated from The University of Toronto, Class of 7T5.  She became the foundation of a growing and active family that experienced many relocations within Canada and the United States as John pursued his business and military careers.  A frequent volunteer at the children’s schools, Karen relished her time with all children, helping to develop their learning and reading skills, and ferrying them to their many extra-curricular activities. 

 

As a loving wife and mother, a dear friend, an engaging mentor, and a reliable advocate for what she believed in, Karen gave generously of the gifts of her time and talents to everyone she felt privileged to serve.  Facing the harshest of life’s challenges, she was an inspiration and the embodiment of her own words: “Never Give Up!”

 

Nulli Secundus