Karla Darling Grant

Karla Darling Grant of Forest Hills, Queens, New York, passed away at home on Thursday August 21, 2025. It was a typical Thursday, camaraderie among friends, and as the day drew to a close, off to bed for a good night's rest. In her sleep, in one peaceful moment Karla quietly transcended this world, just as she and nature would prefer it, without pain or fear. At age 62, Karla's passing was unexpected, but God had other plans for her.

Born December 21, 1962, in Poughkeepsie, New York, Karla excelled as an outstanding student at Kingston High School, graduating salutatorian in 1981. She subsequently attended Virginia Tech where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering / Mathematics. Karla joined Martin Marietta Orlando Aerospace where she worked on designing radar signal processing systems.

From 1988 through 1990 Karla attended Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, graduating with an MBA degree in Finance. By integrating her Engineering and Mathematics disciplines with finance, Karla launched a career in a multidisciplinary field with a focus on applying advanced math and statistical analysis to solve complex financial problems in the quantitative equity research space. She worked at several globally recognized financial services firms while living in Boston, San Francisco, and New York City. Interestingly, the field of quantitative analytics in which Karla specialized, is the precursor that enabled the explosion of today's Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In life, Karla was a dynamo. She grew up in a household that encouraged academic studies, was fiercely intelligent, and pursued life's opportunities with endless curiosity. She spoke four languages and travelled throughout Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East for many extended stays. With her natural beauty, Karla resembled her late mom, Grayce. She enjoyed life to the fullest, closely following arts and culture, she became a learned collector across multiple art disciplines and cultures. Her favorites included Native American, Turkish Byzantine, and Early Spanish. Karla had a brilliant mind, she had a lot of love to give, a generous heart, and a free spirit who was always evolving. She loved fine art, collectibles, haute couture, and the energy and excitement that New York City offered.

Karla is dearly missed and will lovingly be remembered by her brother, Kevin (Angeline); uncle Leonard (Barbara); and cousins Brett (Marie), Lynn (Charles), Thomas (Elizabeth), and William (Tammy). Karla was predeceased by her parents Carl and Grayce Grant, her Grandma Ethel Campbell, and will rest eternally with them in heaven.