Karen Howard Turner

Karen Howard Turner, 86, beloved mother, wife, stepmother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend of Albuquerque, NM, passed away on Saturday, September 24, 2022, after a prolonged illness, surrounded by her loving family and a gathering of ancestors.

Karen lived a full life of discovery, compassion, and kindness. She believed every person she came upon could educate, inspire, or astound her. She was an artist and appreciator of the arts, a collector of particular things, a revolutionary soul, a philanthropist, an early environmentalist, a supporter of worthy and sometimes lost causes, a curious being, a traveler, and an active and proud supporter of New Mexico. Karen gave of herself in many ways, working for Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation, volunteering for political and social causes, and along with her late husband, Dr. Robert Turner, was a founding supporter of Albuquerque’s Off Center Community Arts Project.

In the words of a dear friend:
Playing the letters you’ve drawn,
knowing life is a verb, moving
informed by wisdom, care,
love, mistakes.

Spawning
beauty with words,
art from disarray,
sharing kindness,
nurturing children.

Listening to the words
of strangers,
finding them
becoming friends.

They arrive, they link,
they peel away.

You, making a good life,
formed of a jumble
of choices…

Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Idros Howard of Trinidad, Colorado; her sister, Lynn; as well as her husband, Robert. She is survived by her children, Rebecca Peterson, Geoff Peterson (partner, Jacki Noe), and Strom Peterson (wife, Maria Montalvo); stepchildren, Bruce Turner, Ann and Ken O’Rourke, and Kent Turner; grandchildren, Kimberly Ann O’Rourke and Jennifer Marie O’Rourke; and a great-granddaughter, Leila Kimara Martinez,
and a soon-to-be-born great-grandson.

A gathering of friends and family will be organized in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Off Center Community Arts Project at www.offcenterarts.org/donate/