Karen Anderson of Grass Valley passed away May 30, 2019. She was 77.
A Rosary Service followed by a Celebratory Mass will be held at noon on Tuesday, June 4, at St. Patrick’s Church in Grass Valley.
Karen was born December 27, 1941 in San Francisco. She spent her childhood in the Bay Area and the Santa Cruz Mountains. After graduating and making lifelong friends at Mercy High School in Burlingame, she attended college at the Notre Dame de Namur University in nearby Belmont. She began as a music major but finished with a BA in French. Her love of languages was a lifelong pursuit, and she went on to teach English as a second language, while also enjoying books in her student’s native tongues.
After college she was very proud to work for Legal Aid in San Francisco. “You felt like you were helping people,” she said on many occasions. Karen went on to pursue a career in judicial civil service and—after two attempts and a lot of perseverance—earned her court reporting certificate. She accomplished this goal while working two jobs as a single parent of two young children in the 80’s. She spent 25 years as a court reporter working first for Stanford Hospital and then at San Mateo County Superior Court.
As a devout Catholic, Karen found great solace and joy in God. She made many friends within the church and taught Spanish Catechism for ten years at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Palo Alto. For her commitment she received the Pius X award for her service from the diocese.
After retiring to Grass Valley in 2008, Karen pursued her love of art and enjoyed being part of local art groups and painting local buildings and flower details. Some of her art will be on display at the reception following Tuesday’s Mass at St. Patrick’s Church.
Karen is survived by her son, Rob Anderson; her daughter, Jennifer Anderson; her sister Judy Haynes, and her brother Joseph Rossi Jr.
