Karen Sue Beard

Karen Sue Beard was born on November 16, 1942 in Los Angeles, CA. The oldest of three children born to Harold and Madge Buckingham, she was raised with her brother and sister in Hawthorne, CA. Karen graduated in 1960 from Leuzinger High School then briefly attended nursing school. She had to quit school due to back surgery. During her recuperation, her friend and his cousin, Andrea, introduced her to the love of her life, Michael Beard. Michael and Karen were married on June 15, 1963. Boeing recruited Michael the following year and they moved to Renton, WA. They adopted two children and had a third – Kevin, Wylene, and Cher Ann. Karen was an artist, saleswoman, business woman (owning two gift stores over the years – Country Discoveries in Kent and Treasures of the Heart in Lake Forest Park), and an activist. During the early 1980s, Karen engaged in acts of civil disobedience in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.). She believed strongly in women’s rights and believed it to be her duty to fight for her daughters to have opportunities she didn’t and to be paid equally to men. Karen was a proud member of the “Bellevue 21” – 21 people who chained themselves to the Bellevue Mormon Temple in support of the E.R.A. She also chained herself to two other women and sat down in the Seattle Federal Building – an illegal action. Her final act of disobedience that landed her in jail was climbing the White House fence along with nine other women. She was the only one to successfully get over the fence before being tackled by the Secret Service. During this time of activism and raising her children, she attended Bellevue Community College, earning her A.A. degree in Art History. Later, she attended Seattle University, working towards a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. Her ultimate goal was to attend law school and work for union rights. In 1990, Michael died from ALS. His passing broke her heart and it never healed. She struggled to run her business, work, and attend college. Ultimately, her physical and mental illnesses left her unable to live independently. In December 2007, she moved into Horizon Heights AFH in Bellevue and it was there that she died on January 8, 2014 due to complications related to Alzheimer’s dementia. She is survived by her daughter, Cher Ann, her husband John, and their children, Mackenzie and Michael. Also by her son, Kevin, his wife Susan, and their daughters, Leah and Olivia. She was estranged from her daughter, Wylene. Additionally, her brother, Sterling and sister, Carol, and their families survive her. Cher Ann would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Karen’s amazing caregiver, Maria Bene. Maria is an angel who provided Karen with great love and care for the past six years. And to Evergreen Hospice – especially Veneta, Jill, and Pat, for their compassion and comfort to Karen in her final months. Donations in Karen’s memory can be made to LifeWire (formerly the Eastside Domestic Violence Program for whom Karen volunteered for) at www.edvp.org or to the Humane Society of Seattle at www.seattlehumane.org as Karen was a dog lover who rescued some great dogs from them.