Karen M Lugo

Karen Marie Lugo, AKA Mom, Mommy, Mimi, Mama Lama, passed away on December 27th at the age of 62 after a nearly decade long battle with Ovarian Cancer. Born in London, England in 1962, she lived most of her life in Rockland County, where she grew up and met her loving Husband, Rick. The two met as teenagers while working at Chicken Unlimited, she the hostess and he the fry cook. From a first date to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind, together Karen and Rick built a life that so many could only ever dream of. She built a home filled with warmth, love, and laughter. It was a place where all were welcome and no one was ever left out.
From the earliest days she taught her four beautiful children that it is the process that counts and to always choose kindness. Karen was involved in her children's life in every way possible whether it was standing on line at Barnes and Noble at midnight with Nick for a Harry Potter Novel, coaching Jillian's soccer team or playing dress up in her closet, spending snow days with Krista making snowmen, hot chocolate, and grilled cheeses with tomato soup, or playing hooky with Julia for their mommy daughter dates. She did everything with grace, all while building an incredibly successful business alongside her PIC Rick. Karen's drive and intelligence helped propel Rick's family business to new heights. It's not every day that you see a husband and wife work together to build such a successful entity that they one day would sell together. Karen was the true definition of beauty and brains.
During her years of well-earned retirement, she reconnected with her passion for art. That passion combined with her unimaginable love for her family, as she poured hours into painting portraits and scenes of her children and grandchildren, which the family will have to cherish forever. She did all of this while being the best Mimi any grandchild could ask for, and still finding time to advise and guide her children on everything from finances, to love, to parenting, to how to get stains out of a couch cushion.
Her kindness, openness, and generosity of spirit extended beyond her family to friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers. All who knew her were better for it.
She loved the beach, spending dozens of summers in her vacation home in Bethany Beach, DE, with friends who quickly turned to family before making the shore her permanent home in 2021 in Sea Girt, NJ. Karen and Rick spent their snowbird winters in Naples, FL. There she could be found under a wide brim hat, drinking a lemonade, snacking on pretzels, and somehow getting the most golden tan without spending a minute outside of the umbrella. The things which brought her joy were always simple, sweet, and meant to be shared. A cuppa tea, a glass of champagne, a blueberry muffin, the NYT Sunday Crossword, quiet mornings on the back deck, pizza on the sand, family dinners, ice cream runs to her favorite Montvale Dairy Queen, and an everlasting quest for family game nights.
She is survived by her husband Rick; her children Nicholas, Jillian, Krista Eve, & her "baby oops" Julia Hope; those she loved as if they were her children, her Sons-in-Law Michael Hanigan and Zachary Dignam; her grandchildren, Harper Rue Hanigan, and Liam "Lamby" Hanigan; and her puppy, Lola.
Proceeded in death by her mother Norma (Nana) Doherty, her father Vincent Doherty and her in-laws Ileana (Abu) Lugo and Oscar (Pa) Lugo
Visitation will be held at Wyman Funeral Home in Pearl River, NY on Monday, 12/30 from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM.
Funeral Mass will be held at St. Catherines in Blauvelt, NY 12/31 at 10 AM. By Karen's request- no one at the funeral should wear black. Anyone who knew her, knows Karen was a ray of sunshine and a field of flowers and the celebration of her life should be no different. Our Queen loved life and fought hard to keep it, to honor her please wear something colorful.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Gynecological Cancer research in Karen's Honor. Unlike other cancers, Gynecological cancer research is massively underfunded, every dollar counts. Please donate what you can (but if you need some guidance from Karen- her favorite numbers were 2, 6, & 4). Link found below.
https://secure2.convio.net/mskcc/site/Donation2?19181.donation=form1&df_id=19181&mfc_pref=T&s_channel=evergreen2024-search&utm_source=search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=evergreen2024-search&utm_content=gynecologic_cancer&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADr-3UqYwmLcafxkOD0hsM6agmkcA&gclsrc=aw.ds
The Mass of Christian Burial may be viewed at the following link.
https://saintcatharines.org/livestream
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Karen M Lugo, please visit our floral store.