Karen LaVonne Sykes, 68, of Tracy’s Landing, lost her battle to pancreatic cancer at her home on September 27th.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Walt, of 36 years; children Erin Herring (Isaac); Jeffrey Sykes (Meghan) and Jacqueline Russell (William); siblings Brian, Warren, Bob, Brad, Bill, Cathy, Linnea, and Janet; nine grandchildren Morgan, Noah, Sam, Jude, Jack, Caroline, Henry, Hunter, and Maddie; and a host of nieces, nephews, and dear family and friends.
Karen was born in Seattle, Washington March 25, 1945 to Warren and Wanda White. She attended Brigham Young University in Utah and moved to Maryland in the 1970’s. After working in human resources for Vitro Engineering and Force 3, she found her dream job as an archivist at the Calvert County Historical Society.
Karen’s great loves in life were her family, especially her grandchildren, her church, the Calvert County Historical Society, genealogy, and traveling with her husband and VMI friends. She was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and spent many hours in service to her fellow man and God. Karen was also an avid reader, gardener, and she loved baking homemade goods, chocolate, and spending time with her dogs. She loved all holidays, Christmas being her most favorite.