Karen Lee Remington Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Karen Lee Remington passed away at the age of 62 on Sunday, August 29th 2021 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. She is survived by her son, Paris Rogers; her sister, Claudia Remington and her brother, Ken Remington; nieces and nephews: John and Aindrea Conroy, Meghan Maldonado, and Jonathan and Brandan Remington. She was preceded in death by her parents, Naomi M. Remington and Kenneth E. Remington, as well as her sister, Jean E. Remington. Born in California in 1959, Karen moved to Ohio with her family in 1965. In 1987, she moved to Indianapolis, Indiana for work. In 1989 she was transferred to Des Moines, Iowa, where she decided to start a family. After more than 40 years in the Midwest, Karen moved to Maryland in 2008 to be closer to her sister, Claudia. Before becoming an educator, Karen had a long and successful career in the cosmetology/beauty industry. She graduated from beauty school in 1983 and found a job working in salons for Glemby International. Karen constantly sought out more responsibility and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining business management experience along the way. She ended her fifteen-year career with Glemby as a senior divisional director, managing more than 50 salons across the Midwest. In 1998, she decided to open her own salon and day spa in Des Moines, called The Sage Tree. Five years later, she sold the business and started volunteering at her son’s elementary school inside and outside the classroom. Karen decided to become a teacher in 2003. While she attended college at Upper Iowa University, she worked full time at a juvenile detention facility. Once she graduated, she became a fifth-grade teacher in Des Moines. After moving to Maryland, she taught English, Math, Science, and Health at a special education high school in Washington, D.C. In 2012, she began teaching English at the Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings, where she was also the Dean of Academics. Karen believed that every child can succeed if given the opportunity. She made it her mission in life to meet the individual academic, social, and emotional needs of all her students. Despite working full time at the Maya Angelou Academy, she found time in 2018 to open a bike, watersports, and lacrosse store in Severna Park, Maryland called Bulldog Schwinn & Sports. Karen’s quick wit, infectious positivity, and top-tier management skills immediately made her a pillar in the small business community of Anne Arundel County. At home, Karen was an incredibly important figure in so many lives. She was selfless, attentive, and hilarious. She was caring, empathetic, and brilliant. One could not ask for a better mother, sister, aunt, wife, or girlfriend. Her love was so strong it was almost tangible. She brightened every room she walked into and was, more often than not, the life of the party. She battled both Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma with strength and resolve rarely seen in real life. Although given a poor prognosis, Karen never gave in to gloom and despair. During the 15 weeks she spent in the hospital she was always smiling, ready to meet the next challenge on the road ahead. Her family is grateful to the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute for their tremendous care. Although she is gone, the light and love that Karen constantly emanated will continue to fill the hearts and minds of those who were lucky enough to have known her. Karen’s family will hold a memorial to celebrate her life in Spring 2022. Details will be shared on Karen’s Facebook page this fall. Donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or the See Forever Foundation.

Karen Lee Remington

June 13, 1959 - August 29, 2021