Obituary: Karen Jolliffe

Karen married her loving partner, Phillip Justin Gara, in San Francisco on June 21, 1986. Phil’s family then became her family, Phil’s father, George Gara (deceased) and stepmother Evelyn Gara, as well as his siblings Gale Margaret Mendes, Judy Elizabeth Sobieski (deceased) and George Geza Gara (deceased), and they were a rock for Karen during her wellness fight.

Karen was blessed with long and lasting friendships that spanned the decades, including Nancy Dolittle of Sacramento, Calif., DiAnne Fentress-Rowe of Hillsboro, Ore., Mary Kane of New York, N.Y., Kathy Schiebold of San Francisco, Bobbie Moss of Bloomington, Ind., and new friend Alexis Aschenbrenner of San Francisco.

Karen was a proud graduate of The Dalles High School in 1968. She attended many reunions and class gatherings and was the treasurer of the class reunion committee. Immediately following high school, Karen completed her B.S.N. in Nursing from Cal State Sacramento. Karen went to work at the University of California Medical Center following graduation and worked there for more than 40 years as a nurse in pediatrics, neurology and neurosurgery. While working, Karen completed her M.S.N. in nursing Administration from the University of California, San Francisco and became a hospital administrator. She moved to the Electronic Records Management/IT department where she worked from 1995-2019. Her last position was as a clinical analyst. Karen was on the team which initially brought electronic records to USCF Medical Center and served in a variety of roles as each upgrade was rolled out. A colleague, Andrew Maruoka, wrote “... Karen worked in many capacities as a registered nurse, IT systems administrator, IT analyst and was a respected colleague who always remained focused on providing the best service and care for all patients who crossed through UCSF.”

Karen touched the lives of many, she focused her energy on social justice work, the driving force in her life. Her generosity and kindness to people she knew and didn’t know was incomparable. Throughout her life, she supported family members, the Congregational Church of San Mateo and volunteered with a wide variety of organizations: Homework Central in San Mateo where she was a board member, Vendone Homeless Shelter, Life Moves, Habitat for Humanity and Nickel Street Homeless Shelter in San Francisco. Karen also never met a dog she didn’t like, and her volunteer work and support for the Guide Dogs for the Blind and ASPCA was a source of joy for her.

Karen also enjoyed playing the piano, sewing, reading and knitting. She was thoroughly interested in politics and enjoyed keeping up with national and local events. Karen and Phil loved to travel. Their last “big” trip was to Ireland in 2019 to meet many of Phil’s relatives. They also visited Hawaii eight times and traveled to many of the great cities in the U.S.

To honor Karen’s work in social justice and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of these organizations that meant so much to her: World Wildlife Fund, San Francisco/Marin Food Bank (sfmfoodbank.org), Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael (350 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 ) and/or Homework Central at the Congregational Church in San Mateo (homework-central.org). There is no service scheduled at this time due to COVID-19. A celebration of Karen’s life will be held next year when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.