Friday, May 15, 2026
I had the pleasure of meeting Karen when, like her, I moved from Sydney to Halifax to practise nursing.
I think the first time we met may have been at Dal. Capers have a way of finding each other — that, and her infectious laugh, which could be heard throughout the Forrest Building.
Later, I had the chance to work with her during Hurricane Juan, when she was a VP at Capital Health. I was a new manager at the time, and I looked to her for guidance more than once. She was kind, fair, honest, and more authentic than anyone I knew then — or have come to know in the 20 years since.
Karen was an expert. Nurses used to say she was one of the few senior leaders who could run an entire hospital one minute and jump into patient care the next — in Critical Care, at that.
I also got to spend time with Karen at the rinks, watching our daughters play ringette. Allison, you were an all-star in her eyes. You could always count on Allison’s team having the best hospitality suite whenever Halifax hosted a tournament. One year, Karen even tucked away egg salad sandwiches for my parents, who were visiting from Cape Breton. She quickly became everyone’s favourite team mom.
Years later, I heard nursing student after nursing student sing Karen’s praises. Little did they know they were standing on the shoulders of a giant — and she was the one who helped lift them there.
Wayne, Allison, Anne, Daniel, and David, thank you for sharing your wife, mother, and sister with the rest of us. May you find peace in the days and months ahead, knowing how deeply she was loved.
