Her Story · a working draft
Youngest of fifteen, center of everything
This page is being written by the people who loved her. The skeleton is below; the flesh — the three must-tell stories, her sayings, the details only you know — is arriving. The dashed boxes show exactly what we still need.
The arc
1945
Born Karen Fitzgerald in Pittsburgh on September 23 — the youngest of fifteen children.
The George years
Married George; together they raised four — Lea, Heather, Mark, and Chip.
Pittsburgh → New Jersey
The early chapters, before the Midwest called.
Minnesota
Where she settled, stayed, and hosted — most of her life, and all of its biggest parties.
The multiplying years
Ten grandchildren. Three great-grandchildren. One open door.
2026
A life celebrated on September 26 — three days after her 81st birthday.
Her table
Her table was always filled with food and fun. Whether it was poker that went late into the night for bowls of her signature spaghetti or mac’n’cheese, everyone left full and probably with some leftovers.
Her people
Youngest of fifteen, mother of four, Nana to ten, great-Nana to three — and the center of every room anyway.
“I made Nana Nana and she made me me. She encouraged my self expression and gave me the safety to find myself and to adventure out into the world because I could always return to her open doors and open arms. She was more than a Nana, she was a friend. With Nana, I could be silly, I could be smart and we could laugh for hours playing in her clothes, jewelry and make up. We hung hard and we loved each other harder. I miss you, Nana. Thank you for literally EVERYTHING.”
“I am grateful toward my mother who shapes me to live life, to not be afraid to laugh, and most importantly, be me. Thank you nana. I love you.”
“I just feel so lucky to have had her as my grandma. What an amazing, unique, and loving woman she was.”
Help us fill this in
A line from each of you — Lea, Heather, Mark, and any grandkid who wants in. One or two sentences in your own voice; they get woven into the story.
Her looks
Her number-one creative work was her outfits — always put-together looks and moments. Not very grandma, and proud of it.
Help us fill this in
Name the outfits: the holiday one, the one from that wedding, the accessories rule she never broke. Photos of the looks are gold — literally, for this page.
In her words
“Ya know, just a squirrel trying to get a nut.”
Help us fill this in
More sayings, please — the phrase she repeated, the advice she gave everyone, the toast she always made. Exact words beat paraphrases.
In her hand
Help us fill this in
A recipe card, a birthday-card note, a grocery list — anything in Karen's handwriting. A phone photo is plenty; a scanned line of it becomes a design element on this page.
Have a story that belongs here? Share it as a memory or send it to Adam directly — both count.