Obituary: Karen McKenzie White, 60, Of Newtown: Nurse Practitioner

Information and Photo Courtesy Matthew White

NEWTOWN, CT — Karen McKenzie White passed away on June 13, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.

Born on February 12, 1962, to the late Joe and Doris McKenzie, Karen grew up in Pleasantville, New York. She spent her summers visiting the shores of Manasquan, New Jersey, with her parents and brother. She graduated from Pleasantville High School and eventually received her bachelor’s degree in French literature at Washington University. Karen returned to Pleasantville and began her education in nursing. During this time, she met the love of her life, Ed White. She always said of this meeting, “I knew the night I met him that he was the person I would marry.”

Karen and Ed have four children: Alexandra, Edward, Daniel and Matthew. Karen and Ed raised their children as Karen worked to complete her master’s degree in nursing at Pace University and worked in the newborn intensive care unit, where she made some of her most treasured friends. Shortly after, the White family moved to Newtown. Karen spent almost the rest of her life working as a Nurse Practitioner at the school-based health center in Danbury High School. She deeply enjoyed working with the diverse population and had a strong sense of duty to her patients. In 2019, she was recognized as “Provider of the Year” by the Connecticut Association of School-Based Health Centers. She was a board member of Newtown Youth & Family Services and a community advisory board member of Families Network of Western CT.

Outside of work, Karen took a strong role in the activities of her children, attending football and travel basketball games across the state on a weekly basis. Karen had a love for languages and culture — she traveled to Europe many times, and continued her study of the French and Irish languages over the years. She explored many interests over her lifetime, including rose gardening, sewing, quilting, and dollhouse refurbishment. She founded and organized Le Club Francais, a social group for fellow francophiles. She had high standards for herself and others, a quirky sense of humor, and sparkling green eyes. One of the most recent joys of her life was spending time with her grandchild, Tristan.

In addition to her husband and children, Karen leaves behind her grandson, Tristan; her brother, Keith; her brother- and sisters-in-law, Betsy, Glenn, and Loretta; her nieces and nephews, Victoria, Eric, Rob, Abby, Orion, Ellie, Shae, Joel, Jonathon, Jennifer, and Caroline; and the many friends she met along the way.

She was predeceased by her sister-in-law, Marjie.

A Celebration of Life is being held Aug. 6, 2022 at 1 p.m. at the Newtown Community Center at Fairfield Hills. All are welcome, casual nice attire. No need for suits.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to GBS|CIDP Foundation International, gbs-cidp.org.