Karen Marie Gammache's Obituary
Karen Gammache completed her service of 76 years on Earth on October 21, 2023 at Clarehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma following a long illness. She will continue to love, encourage, comfort, challenge, and support her husband of 51 years, Richard, her 6 children, and 18 grandchildren.
Karen was born in northern California to German and Portuguese parents, Otto and Gertrude, and grew up farming almonds, apricots, walnuts and petting her beloved farm cats. A lifelong learner, she graduated Salutatorian from Hamilton Union High School, attended UC-Davis and Chico State University and later in life completed her Master’s in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland.
Karen met Rick at a joint Sisters of Mercy Convent-St Vincent’s Seminary scripture class in Latrobe, PA, where both were in studies for religious life. Realizing that God’s call for them was marriage and family life, they each joined the United States Navy. After the hard work on the farm and rigorous life in the convent, Navy life was a breeze and she showed herself to be an exemplary Personnelman. She became the first woman to serve at the Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic in Charleston, SC and was a trailblazer for women sailors everywhere.
Karen and Rick were married on July 8, 1972 in Washington, PA. Their life together took them to Charleston, SC, Urbana, IL, Auburn, IN, New Haven, IN, Springfield, VA, and Tulsa, OK. After seeing all of their children graduate from high school and university and many following in her Navy footsteps, Karen enjoyed traveling to visit her grandchildren in California, Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Washington state, Spain, and Japan.
She was always up for new experiences and lending a sympathetic ear. She loved being with her family, enjoyed card games at the kitchen table, baking quadruple batches of chocolate chip cookies to share, offering a meal and an open home, enjoying a good glass of wine, petting her cats, and, most of all, holding babies. She always saw the good in others and taught us all what sacrifice and love meant. She passed away peacefully, knowing that her family loved her and she would always be in their hearts.
Karen’s funeral mass will be on 10:00 AM, Wednesday, November 15th at Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, VA. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to honor Karen’s memory is invited to reach out and offer comfort to a friend.
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