Karen Jefferies
August 8, 1941-March 12, 2009
Karen was born and grew up in California, moving with her family to Rye, New York while she was in high school. She graduated with a BA in History from D.C. Berkeley in 1963. After graduation she became a portfolio manager at Scudder Stevens and Clark in New York City. She married Jack P. Jefferies in 1972 and lived in Snedens Landing, NY while raising her daughter Lizzie. She became an interior decorator in New York, and later an expert insurance broker for long-term care. In 1997, Karen and Jack moved to Newport, Rhode Island, spending winters in Vero Beach, Florida.
Karen was bright, passionate and inquisitive with a contagious zest for life. She traveled the globe, had an unquestionable flair for entertaining and was a voracious reader. She also found great joy from the simple things in life — spending time with family and friends, solving daily crossword puzzles and gardening.
Cass Ludington wrote about Karen, who was her neighbor:
“When Nick’s Aunt Gert (Macy) died in 1984 and we moved from Pennsylvania into her house on the Hudson, we were warmly greeted by her old buddies in the neighborhood. But best of all, we had Karen, Jack and Lizzie Jefferies right next door. Karen took me under her wing. She was a fund of local information and gave me tips — on auto shops, grocery shops, cooking, gardening and the works. She gave beautiful parties to introduce us around and then ended up re-decorating our living room. She got me involved in her Church Talent Shows, which were such fun and raised a goodly bunch of money to boot. Many people remember her as one of the hard-working founders of 10964. Bravo Karen!
But for me the greatest blessing was, that when I needed a friend, I always knew where I could go — next door to Karen. I will always be so grateful she was there.”