Karen Meyers Memorial Fund for Dance and Massage

Karen R. Meyers passed away suddenly at 64 after a much-too-short but wonderful life on this earth. Karen’s family is devastated by the loss of Karen’s constant source of laughter, light, and unconditional love. We are establishing a fund in Karen’s name to create a program to offer scholarships for dance lessons and to sponsor dance event activities including on-site massages in the West Coast Swing dance community. This fund will enable people to embrace the love and joy of dancing and the therapeutic benefits of massage, two things that Karen cherished most.

Our initial goal is $10,000 that we will put in an interest-bearing account. We will use the interest from the principal raised to fund dance lessons in West Coast Swing for those who need financial assistance, and to introduce people to massage therapy at dance events. Our mission is to allow the principal to survive indefinitely so that Karen’s legacy of joy and healing can last forever.

Stay tuned for a Celebration of Life for Karen to be held in the Albany NY area on June 24, 2023.

Here is Karen’s story. Born on June 25, 1958, Karen was the first child of Bernie and Ruth. Karen was born in Queens, New York, days apart from her cousin Janis; they shared a special bond their entire lives. Karen attended the Syracuse University School of Public Communication where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and made life-long friends. Karen later completed a Master of Business in Accounting at the University at Albany and later went on to work with her father Dr. Bernie, her sister Paula, and her mother Ruth in Bernie’s medical practice. Eventually, Karen settled in at the New York State Insurance Fund where she had many colleagues who she could call friends.

Perhaps Karen’s greatest career was becoming a massage therapist of incredible skill and versatility. Karen glowingly graduated from the Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy in Albany, New York, and she never stopped learning about different massage techniques. She was accomplished in deep-tissue, hot stone, Ashiatsu, and especially Trigger Point Therapy, which is miraculous in its ability to relieve pain naturally. Karen planned on returning to her love of massage therapy in her upcoming retirement. The world will miss out on Karen’s wonderful skill, capacity to listen to her clients, and ability to bring comfort and healing in such a professional and kind way.

Karen also loved the great outdoors, especially the Adirondacks, where she hiked, paddled, and camped. She loved to travel, especially with her brother Jeff, and they shared adventures in California and Utah where they went to National Parks, skied, hiked, rode mountain bikes, and shared a mutual love of landscape photography. Karen was famous for her old-school slide shows and spent many a day creating the perfect display of beautiful landscapes and happy people.

One of Karen’s greatest joys in life was dancing, especially West Coast Swing. When dancing, Karen could use her creativity, sense of musicality, and beautiful body as both an accomplished follower and leader. She recently placed first in a “Jack & Jill Masters” competition in Boston and was so happy with her success, but more so with the joy that dancing brought her. She is sorely missed by the wonderful dance community that she embraced and that embraced her so lovingly. Karen met her sister-in-law Amy Howansky while dancing, and they discussed their mutual love of camping, a rare overlap in the dance world. It is through that overlap of camping and friendship that Amy met, and later married, Karen’s brother Jeff.

Karen loved her sister Paula with a depth that simply cannot be described. They spoke every day and shared the joy of sisterhood like no other siblings we know. Karen and Paula loved swapping fashionable clothes between themselves. Karen also loved Paula’s “boys” and took great joy in watching them grow up to be the wonderful young men they are today.

Karen and Jeff shared an incredibly special bond and they often referred to themselves as sharing “the same brain.” Karen and Jeff would often laugh to the point of crying. Karen introduced Jeff to Star Trek re-runs when he was only five, and they both became dedicated “Trekkies.” They also shared joy in watching funny movies and TV shows, and would often remind one another of funny scenes and relay lines from movies at the appropriate time.

Karen will be sorely missed by so many, and the world is less full of joy and laughter without her. She was a monumental pillar in so many people’s lives and we simply don’t know how we will live without her, but we also know she would want us to laugh and live life to the fullest, which we will do to honor her. This fundraiser is designed to help accomplish that goal.