Karen Morgan Driscoll

November 18, 1941 – April 3, 2010

Karen Morgan Driscoll died on April 3, 2010 after a 5 ½ year fight with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband of nearly 47 years, Andrew Locke Driscoll; her father, Captain Edward Maxwell Morgan,USN (Ret.), her daughters, Hilary Driscoll Hall and Heather Driscoll Paetsch, her aunt, Virginia Greening Nisker, her four grandchildren, Maxwell Morgan Hall, Elaine Nielsen Hall, Sebastian Andrew Paetsch and Elliott Driscoll Paetsch. She was predeceased by her mother, Shirley Greening Morgan and her uncle, Charles Ross Greening.

Karen was born in Pensacola, Florida to Lt. Edward Maxwell Morgan USN and Shirley Greening Morgan shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Growing up as the only child in a Navy family, Karen lived in many places including Washington D.C., The Naval Academy, Bermuda; New York City; Hawaii; Bozeman, MT and St. Paul, MN. In 1959 she graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Faribault, MN. In 1963 she graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN where she met and fell in love with a young hockey player, Andy Driscoll. They were married soon after graduation and moved to Woods Hole, MA where Karen worked at the Fisheries Lab and Marine Biological Lab. They then moved to California where Karen worked as a social worker and where they started their family. After moving to Bainbridge Island, she became a certified Montessori Teacher and started a school in North Kitsap. When her second child was born, she worked in Andy’s environmental consulting business. Next Karen joined the planning department for the City of Poulsbo and rose to become the director. She then helped Andy run their stationary store, Paper Products etc. in Winslow and became a real estate agent for a short time. In 1993 she and Andy lived at Neah Bay and worked for the Makah Indian tribe managing the redevelopment of the old Air Force Base. Later she assisted the Suquamish tribe’s planning department. Throughout her working life she received numerous awards and accolades for outstanding contributions.

Retirement brought the couple to a piece of raw land near Port Townsend, WA. Karen designed their new home which became the heart of their Plum Wild Farm where she raised chickens, flowers and vegetables for sale at the Farmers Market. In her spare time she edited and published a 200-plus page memoir of her uncle, C. Ross Greening, a World War II hero, titled Not as Briefed; wrote and published the Egg Carton News for four years; edited and produced the local genealogy club newsletter; researched and recorded numerous personal family histories.

Throughout her life, Karen was a voracious reader, an avid photographer, and always knew what was going on in the world around her. Being a mother and grandmother gave her special meaning and purpose. She lovingly raised her daughters with strength and intelligence and devoted herself to aiding them raise her four grandchildren with tenacity and wisdom. Her family and friends have said of her, “Karen is the most creative cook I know!” and “Karen is the smartest person I know.”