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| Karen Finlinson Savage |
Karen was born July 18th, 1962 in Rupert, Idaho to Richard Lyman and LaVon (Williams) Finlinson. She was the sixth child born into family of seven children.
Karen was always a ray of sunshine. As a very small child she would dance around laughing with a sparkle in her eye and a sense of humor to boot. She was completely delightful. She would not only dance on her toes, but walk on her toes. She loved being a part of things and right in the middle of the action. She was always moving; always busy doing something and very social.
It was easy for Karen to make friends as she was so fun loving and accepting of people. As a young girl she seemed to include everyone around her in playing and participating in her brand of fun.
Karen faced, what became her biggest life challenge, at the age of 12. An older brother had been diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8, and now Karen followed. She had such a bright countenance and outlook on life and she seemed to accept it with a certain ease.
Karen was very active in school and extracurricular activities. She was 9th grade president. She had a close group of friends all through her junior high and high school years. They were highly spirited and just had a lot of fun together.
A high school friend related some of her memories of those times. She said that Karen "loved student council and school dances. She had a really cool dance step, which she added...was amazing for the 70’s. We would watch her and try to copy her steps. We ended up calling the step, right step, left kick, one foot forward as your arms hang at your sides and her shoulders sway, ‘The Finlinson Move.” She was so funny. During her 9th grade year, her friend also recalled that Karen liked a boy, but when he tried to hold her hand she broke up with him."
Karen has had many real struggles throughout her life because of her health problems that have beset her. Her attitude during her health struggles are exemplified by this story from a friend. She would come and visit Karen on a regular basis at a very low time of Karen’s life. She was not able to see at this time. She would throw Karen’s wheelchair in the back of her Datsun convertible and take her for rides. She took Karen shopping on this particular occasion. As she pushed Karen through the stores, looking for a pair of new jeans, she would reach out and feel the material on each pair and picked several to try on. She would ask with each pair, are these cute, and are they cuter than the last pair? She was truly amazing with her great attitude during her illnesses.
Karen met her husband while in pilot training at Williams Air Force Base. She had been having health challenges and was on kidney dialysis and had lost a good share of her sight. Thanks to modern medicine, Karen was able to have an operation that returned her sight. She and her husband were married in the Mesa Temple on June 9, 1990 and in November of that year, her youngest brother donated to her a kidney, which gave her 13 years of superior kidney function and the opportunity to have two wonderful boys.
The doctors had told Karen to not consider children for at least several years, if at all, but she was blessed to not have the complications that doctors had predicted and all felt that Karen had received another miracle.
Family life in the military provided many unique opportunities and a great support system wherever they went, Little Rock, San Antonio and Dover, Delaware. They made lifetime friendships that they will forever cherish. Karen’s life away from home was filled with laughter and close friendships, always keeping in contact to dear friends further away by phone.
Karen had always loved home décor, but it was in San Antonio that she was influenced by her trips to Fredericksburg...a mecca of home design right in the hill country of Texas. Her love of Shabby Chic, white slip-covered furniture, white walls, white furniture and white everything was born. She had always loved to pour over home magazines, collect fabric samples and was often known for bringing home the whole bolt if she liked it!
In Dover, Karen’s life was filled with trips to the Amish Market, the auction where her and her friends would buy furniture and other salvage yard finds. She was always helping her friends with decorating and upholstering tips and thrived on making her home a shabby chic showplace.
A career move as an airline pilot made a move west possible and Arizona was the chosen destination. Being close to family and a support system was definitely the criteria.
Karen always had her thoughts and daily concerns about her health struggles, but as we all know, she was cheerful and able to face her obstacles with optimism. She was very aware of her mortality and would sometimes make comments that would surprise those that didn’t know her well. Through the years she had critical times when we were left wondering if her time was near. But time after time she rebounded and the Lord blessed her. All close to her knew that she had at least one, if not many, guardian angels and we all know that Karen has had more than 9 lives!
Karen had signs that her kidney was failing and began researching and looking at transplant options. She definitely found her home in Salt Lake with a transplant doctor that took a special interest in her. Her husband was able to give her another kidney and she was listed for a pancreas transplant, which she was able to receive months later. For a year her pancreas functioned but she began noticing signs of that coming to an end. She accepted each transition and change in her life with such faith and an attitude of moving forward. When she got word 8 weeks ago that she was up for another transplant, she did comment that she had been doing so well and felt a bit unsure going into this transplant. But as we all know, Karen was not going to turn down a good transplant, with a perfect match! She had done so well in the past and we all had faith that the Lord was definitely in charge of her life.
She and her husband flew to Salt Lake where she began her last journey. The doctor and his team made every move possible to pull Karen through her insuing obstacles. The nursing staff at LDS Hospital loved and cared for her. They were all drawn to her and would mention how stoic she was through her trials.
Being a seasoned patient, Karen knew so much about her own health and well-being and she lets her wishes be known. Every attempt was made to ease her burden and make her comfortable. With her boys calling her the Queen of Comfort, no one takes for granted her need for down pillows, high thread counts, cashmere sweaters to keep her warm in bed, egg crates, soft blankets and lots of hand and foot massages.
Our family feels eternally blessed to have had the opportunity to be at her bedside, to ease her burdens, comfort her spirit and participate in the feeding of our souls at her bedside. Karen had many hands involved in taking care of her. Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ are very aware of Karen. Their spirit has attended her and the family. Karen passed away on June 11, 2006 in Salt Lake City, Utah. We are thankful that Karen is a part of our eternal family.
Written by her sister, Diane Finlinson Miller and published in the Deseret News on Tuesday, June 13 2006
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