Karen Marie Cantwell

Live Stream Link (password: Cantwell): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81563653979?pwd=Dum5yssKaM2iXyQbeAKvEWEPiDdYAJ.1

Karen Marie Cantwell (88) passed away peacefully Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, surrounded by all four of her children. Just ten days prior, extended family gathered at home in Smithfield to celebrate her birthday. As always, she was listening to our stories and with a little persuasion telling some precious stories of her own.

 Born on October 15, 1936, in Portland, Oregon, she was the daughter of Marie Stark and Ralph Hansen, and the first of seven children. She had three brothers and three sisters and played a crucial role in each of their lives. Early in childhood, she became the steady leader in the family. With two working parents, she soon took on the role of caring for her younger siblings. Her hands were full with her mischievous brothers, who she dressed and transported to church, often under protest. Even with an age gap, her younger sisters would become some of her dearest friends in the world.

 A childhood case of rheumatic fever kept Karen home and out of school for several months in her elementary years. The isolation of the illness taught her to be very self-sufficient, and she had a rich inner world. Even in her final days, her family was still learning new things about her. While ill, and to pass the long days inside, she immersed herself in reading, which became a lifetime skill and blessing to her. A voracious reader, Karen would read 50 or more books a year – history, scriptures and gospel study, mystery novels, stoic philosophy, popular fiction, psychology – basically everything. She returned again and again to her favorites, Charles Dickens’ Bleak House and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

Karen attended Jefferson High School in Portland, followed by a year of college at BYU, where she performed as a Cougarette. While she was at BYU, she got in a spot of trouble for playing an Elvis Presley record in the dorms. It was at BYU where she caught her first glimpse of her future husband, Lee Cantwell, who was on campus with a singing group. She didn’t meet him then, but years later, their paths crossed in Portland, Oregon, where she was studying to be a dental hygienist, and he was a dental student at the University of Oregon. The pair met on a double date, each with another partner. After a joyful courtship, she knew she could never let him walk away. They were married in June 1958 in the Logan, Utah Temple. Their four children came quickly in the next seven years, the first two, Steven and Sandra, only 10 months apart.

The family moved near Boston, Massachusetts, where her husband served in the U.S. Army and her second daughter, Leslie, was born. After two years, the family returned to Portland, where her son Brian was born. She had a houseful of young children and soon teenagers, yet managed it all with patience, kindness, and a spirit of fun. There was yoga, tennis, laughter, and music. It was Karen who bought The Beatles, Cat Stevens, and Elton John records that the family came to love so well. She also had a passion for nutrition– including a regimen of wheat germ and fried liver while still making all varieties of cookies and sweets to share.

 During her Oregon years, she had many adventures with her family and enjoyed traveling with her husband around the world – from the deserts of Africa to the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, and from the great cities of Europe to the islands of Polynesia.

 When the kids started going to college and on missions, it was always a joy to return home to her wonderful meals and sit with her. When the grandchildren and great-grandchildren came, she was always ready to help in times of illness and crisis. She had a wonderful memory for favorite treats and a knack for giving thoughtful, well-timed gifts. Her generosity of spirit was seen and unseen but always felt by all who knew her.

 Karen would listen intently to the stories of her children and grandchildren. She created welcoming spaces and was fully present with those she loved in times of joy and times of sorrow. To be with her was to be loved and accepted by her. She was always rooting for and never judging those who trusted her with their thoughts and feelings. Her home continues to be a safe place to land.

 A highlight of her life was her annual trip to the Oregon coast with her sisters and daughters, which meant a week of laughter and pure joy, free from life’s responsibilities for a few precious days to be with beloved friends she could trust with anything. Karen’s mother had this tradition with her sisters, and Karen extended it to the next generation.

 Karen was a true disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She served in Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary presidencies, and ministered to many sisters in need throughout her years. She served two missions in Hawaii, where she tutored students from all over Polynesia and Asia, teaching them how to write and speak English. She was a kind guide and friend to hundreds of students far from home learning a second language. A skilled editor, she collaborated with her husband and others on books and writing projects.

In 2015, soon after her husband of 56 years died, she had a health crisis that nearly took her. But through the selfless love and intervention of her daughters, she received the treatment she needed. This gave her another decade of life, a miraculous encore. She was the steady, nurturing presence in the family – kind and generous in every way. During these years, her home was the center of family connection. Her grandchildren married, served missions, and graduated from college. Nine more great-grandchildren were born. She was there for all of it – guiding, supporting, and loving her family in a way only she could. A few years ago, she enjoyed a month-long cruise across the Pacific with her daughter Leslie –traveling to Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia. It was a final farewell to the people of the Pacific islands who she cared for deeply.

 Karen lived a rich life and is loved by so many. She will be greatly missed. She will always be a shining example of Christ-like love: slow to judge and quick to offer acceptance. She was always ready to celebrate and admire: every moment with her lifted you up and left you stronger and more assured you could meet whatever challenge was on the horizon.

Survivors include three sisters, Linda (Terry) Gassaway, JoEllen (Rick) West, and Susan (Jimi) Duncan; two brothers Ralph (Drinda) Hansen, and Robert (Kathy) Hansen; two daughters, Sandra (Scott) Anderson and Leslie (Stan) Benfell; two sons, Steven (Maura) Cantwell and Brian (Misha) Cantwell; 12 grandchildren. and 14 great-grandchildren.

 Funeral services will be at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the Smithfield Stake Center, 600 E. 120 South, Smithfield. Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Nelson Funeral Home, 85 S. Main, Smithfield, and from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. before the funeral services at the church. Burial will be in the Smithfield cemetery next to her beloved husband Lee.

 Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at www.nelsonfuneralhome.com.