Karen McFadyen

Karen's Story Karen Elizabeth Bostian McFadyen, age 67, passed away on Sunday, May 1, 2011, from complications after a two-year battle with cancer. Karen was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., to Marvin and Daisy Bostian. She graduated from Woman's College in Greensboro, N.C. (UNC-G) in 1966 and taught Spanish for more than 30 years in high schools and colleges. She began her teaching career in Charlotte and High Point, N.C. She taught for 10 years at Tampa Preparatory School in Tampa, where she was head of the Spanish department and a college advisor. In Orlando, she was an international student advisor at Valencia Community College. She then taught at Ana G Mendez University, where she was director of student teaching. "Karen's Spanish was so excellent that frequently native speakers would ask her, "˜Where are you from?' and she would say "˜North Carolina.' They couldn't believe it and would say "˜No really, where are you from?'" said Richard McFadyen, her husband of 41 years. She was an active campaigner for peace and justice. She visited Nicaragua during the Contra "Sandinista war in the 1980s to bear witness to what she saw there. She was very active in the Habitat for Humanity movement. In Jacksonville, Fla., she was on the board of Habijax, the local Habitat organization. She loved politics and was very active in the presidential campaigns of John Kerry, Al Gore and Barack Obama. With a group of women that she met in the Kerry campaign, she and her friends helped to bring a Ten Thousand Villages store to Winter Park. She and her husband volunteered there on a regular basis. At the time of her death, Karen was an active member of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Orlando, where she was significantly involved in the church's mission outreach program. Most recently, she coordinated the delivery of surplus food to the West Orange Christian Service Center. She was also on the committee to determine the recipients of gifts from the church's Mission Capital Endowment Fund. She also enjoyed traveling and spending time with her family and friends. Her most recent trip in 2010 was a cruise up the Nile River in Egypt. She was an accomplished photographer whose photo of the Sphinx was published in the Orlando Sentinel. She was a people person and a real organizer. She loved keeping up with all of her friends and never forgot to send a card on a birthday or an anniversary. Karen will be missed by her many friends and family. She is survived by her husband, Richard, two sisters, Sheila Johnson, her twin, and Brenda Davenport, four nieces, Tracy, Melody, Elizabeth, and Michelle, four nephews, Juston, Doug, Henry, and Andy, two grand nieces, Reed and Julia and three grand nephews, Tate, Shawn and Chase. A celebration of her life will be held at 2:00PM, Saturday, May 21st, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church located at 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32819, telephone 407-876-4991. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St. Luke's United Methodist Church Mission Capital Endowment Fund at the address above. Arrangements are entrusted to DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory, 9001 N. Orlando Avenue, Maitand, FL 32751, telephone 407-695-2273. Online condolences can be made at www.DeGusipeFuneralHome.com.

Karen McFadyen

April 15, 1944 - May 1, 2011