Karen Wollam, 81, died on December 28, 2022 in Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA after a short struggle with stage 4 lung cancer.

Karen was born in Columbus, OH on December 15, 1941 to Miriam (Cross) Wollam and Emerson Wollam. She attended grade school in Upper Arlington, OH but graduated from The Meeting School in Rindge, NH in 1959. After graduation, Karen completed an eight-month program at The International School of America, then joined her sisters, who were in school in France for the year. In 1961, Karen attended Wilmington College for a year before transferring to Michigan State, where she earned a degree in sociology in 1965, after which she worked briefly as a social worker. In 1967, Karen married Leigh Sewell and went on to raise three children with the patience, love, and understanding that only Karen could give.

Karen lived a life of reinvention. She lived all over the world with stints in San Francisco, CA; Puerto Rico; Bogota, Columbia; Houston, TX; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Upper Arlington, OH; Jeffersonton, VA; Groton, MA; and finally, Sun Lakes, AZ. After her divorce in 1996, Karen pursued employment outside the home: first, as a real estate agent; then, as a worker on her brother's flower farm in Virginia; then, starting her own baking business; and finally, as a beloved concierge at Newbury Court, an independent living facility in Concord, MA. In 2020, she fulfilled her dream of moving to Arizona to savor the desert warmth and the mountain views and to enjoy the company of her 100-year-old uncle, Robert Bender, and cousin, Susan Bennett. Wherever she was and whatever she was doing, she found ways to knit herself into the community in a way that was meaningful and memorable.

Karen was quiet, easy-going, modest, patient, kind, warm, open, organized, content, and independent. She is remembered for her oatmeal bread, her love of birds, her green thumb, her wool clogs, her personalized license plates, and her fierce love for her children.

She is survived by her children Jennifer (James) Cowan, Holly Sewell (Dan Homer), and Patrick Sewell (Gina Varrichio); her siblings Robert Wollam (Anne Montgomery), Gretchen (Johnny) O'Connor, and Kristin Goodwillie; her grandchildren Ashley, Drew, and Ryan; and a slew of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends that miss her dearly.

A memorial service will be held on July 15, 2023 in Groton, MA. Details will be posted to Karen's Facebook page .

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.