Karen Simunic, a schoolteacher for over 30 years in several south Bay Area school districts, passed away peacefully at the Regional Medical Center of San Jose on July 3rd, 2010.
Karen was born in Dallas, TX, July 8th, 1944, and grew up in Southern California, but found a lifelong home in the Silicon Valley after she moved to Saratoga at age 15. A graduate of Los Gatos High School in 1961, Karen received a B.A in Elementary Education from San Jose State University four years later. After college she volunteered for two years as a Christian missionary in Taiwan, but returned to the Bay Area to her life’s passion, teaching. She had an abiding love of educating children that would help her as a teacher in the Monterey, San Jose, and Morgan Hill Unified School Districts.
Karen was eventually forced to retire after being diagnosed with cancer in 2004, but not before completing the school year even as her body was weakening. A long and happy period of community involvement kept her active mind busy following successful chemotherapy treatment, particularly her volunteer work with St. Louise Regional Hospital and Advent Group Ministries, a local non-profit organization.
She was a member of Advent Lutheran Church in Morgan Hill. She leaves behind a husband of 37 years, Richard, two children, Stephanie and Steven, a sister, Carolyn Randall, and her father, Sven Ingels. There are numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles, and aunts.
A memorial service will be held July 24th, 2010, at 2:00 P.M. at Advent Lutheran Church in Morgan Hill, CA. If you would like, please make donations in Karen’s name to Advent Group Ministries, 90 Great Oaks Boulevard, San Jose, CA, 95119-1314.
