Karen W. Fellman

Karen W. Fellman of Hebron, CT passed away in the company of her immediate family on 15 December 2024 while in the care of Hartford Hospital's ICU team. It was her 8th hospital stay of the year. She was 56 years young.

According to popular opinion of the medical community at the time, Karen Lynn Wilson's arrival on 5 September 1968 was something of a miracle. Oh, how so very right they were. As she progressed through her life, Karen's identity grew. Karen Wilson Fellman arrived in September 2003. And, Douglas' Mom arrived in December 2007.

Whether it be her late grandparents, Elmo and Emily (Keithline) Sliker and Alford J. and Ruth (Johnson) Wilson, or her parents, Susan (Sliker) and the late Jon Wilson, or her big brother, Keith, or the Fellman branch of her expanded family tree, or her cherished friends, Karen loved fiercely. There is little doubt that those she loved fueled her desire to carry on as long as she could. And, even though her love for all just mentioned was legion, it pales to the love she possessed for the little boy she rocked to sleep on his first day. Our world was never the same once our son arrived. And, Karen's full life became so much more because of him.

Karen took great pride in her contributions professionally. First, as the Executive Secretary to the late Thomas Meredith of Hartford's Coburn & Meredith and then as a Business Office Administrator for Region 330 of Edward Jones, Karen gave everything she could afford to spare in the hopes of improving the experience of those around her. Perhaps only her financial services industry colleagues truly knew how lucky their clients were to find Karen on the other end of the phone.

Her contributions were not limited to the work world. Both a Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts Mom, Karen took the maturation of young boys and girls very seriously when she accepted the job to oversee the attainment of the essential Cooking merit badge as well as the logistics of the Eagle Scout ceremony for Hebron Troops 28 and 1028. If you are a young adult who sharpened your kitchen and campfire cooking skills under the guidance of Mrs. Fellman and her Scouts partner-in-Advancement, Mrs. Kemp, you know you earned it. And, if you achieved Eagle during her time with you, please know it was her honor to celebrate your accomplishment. I assure you it was.

What most never saw was the sheer exhaustion she experienced in service to others. But, she did so willingly. Better to be wiped out at the end of the day and smile than to have wasted a day brimming with possibilities.

To have known Karen in her youngest years, you would have met a sassy girl who enjoyed camping with her family, skiing with her pals, and performing with Wethersfield High's marching band. And, yes, it is true: Karen was one of the flutists when said band was the first to play at Disney World's Epcot Center, thank you very much. After graduating high school, she earned degrees from Mitchell College and Manchester Community College. She also studied at Central Connecticut State University and Elmira College.

Thank you to the women she befriended during her school years who our son knows as aunts. Thank you for your commitment to Karen on a constant basis over the two score you were a part of her life. You are the sisters she chose. She knew how blessed she was to have you all.

During our married life, Karen enjoyed gardening, scrapbooking, and getting to know her neighbors near and far in RHAM Country. When her body would allow, she was always interested in enjoying what God offered outdoors that particular day. In those necessary times of rest and recovery, Karen appreciated her TV friends on the Food Network, Hallmark Channel, and whatever cable channel broadcast The Big Bang Theory, M*A*S*H, and ...of course... Little House on The Prairie . Along the same lines, a gentle thank you to the companies that chose to keep the work of actress Dame Julie Andrews on our home's screens. It was always a boost for KWF to watch and listen to Ms. Andrews performing.

A testimony to Karen's life would be incomplete without an acknowledgment of the medical professionals and staff who supported her. A great thanks to those who watched over her on a weekly basis for years and to those talented staff members of Hartford Healthcare and of Middlesex Health who cared for her in the last 24 months of her life. Please know that she so very appreciated your effort to give her more time with her loved ones. We cannot adequately express how blessed we were to have her enjoy the warm days of summer one more time.

If you were just getting to know Karen, you may not yet have learned her medical "baseball card stats": Kidney failure at 14, three kidney transplants, Non-Hogkin Lymphoma survivor, chemotherapy survivor, Stage 2 Diabetic late in her life due to the decades-long exposure to medication that allowed her to live.

A private burial was held shortly after her death to fortify her immediate family until the time for the memorial service she wanted conducted to celebrate her life could be held without "gloom and doom". On behalf of Karen's mother, brother, and son, we warmly invite you to attend a memorial service at Gilead Congregational conducted by Reverend Dr. Brian Hardee, on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 2p. GCC is located at 672 Gilead Street, Hebron, CT, 06248. Sweet treats will be served afterwards.

Karen is survived not only by her husband, son, mother, and brother, but by her in-laws, Rose Marie (Murry) and Garfield Fellman, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Anjanette (Fellman) and Todd Reis, her nieces Mia, Ashley, and Reese, her nephews Liam and Aiden as well as a multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

If you wish to express your appreciation for Karen with flowers, please bring a potted daffodil plant to her memorial service for display in the sanctuary and for planting for the next season. Otherwise, please consider a donation in Karen's memory to either the organization she promoted every time she drove her car, www.donatelife.net , or to the church she enjoyed, Gilead Congregational Church at GCC@GileadChurch.net/ 860.228.3077