Holyoke— Karen Nina (Kwartler) Harper, 65, died October13 of pancreatic cancer at her home in Holyoke.

Born March 27, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of Eli Kwartler of Pelham and the late Adele Behrman Kwartler.

In the last three years, Karen served in several roles as an advocate for elders and other vulnerable populations, as she had done her entire life.  She taught a course on geriatric health at Holyoke Community College, provided program and organizational development assistance to Quality Adult Day Care in West Springfield and Holyoke, and served as a Strategic Planning Committee member of the Dementia-Friendly Holyoke initiative. She balanced these roles with enjoying her dream home on the banks of the Connecticut River with her husband and two beloved dogs, and spending vacation time on Cape Cod and in Maine whenever she could.  

Karen graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1970, briefly attended Tufts University, and then settled on Cape Cod where she began her lifetime love of the Outer Cape. There she met her first husband Stephen Mock. Karen and Stephen moved to the Amherst area in the late ’70s so Karen could continue her education. She ultimately received her M.Ed. degree in Human Services and Counseling from Antioch University.

After Karen earned her degree, she took a job as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Avalon School in Monterey, MA.  After a few years, she also began to provide social work consultation to nursing homes in that area of the Berkshires. She and Stephen purchased a home in South Egremont, MA, where they eventually welcomed sons George and next Kevin into their family.

In 1987, after Karen and Stephen were divorced, Karen, George and Kevin moved to Florence, MA.  When Karen first arrived in the Northampton area, she began to work in various nursing homes providing social work services to elderly patients and their families.  She reconnected with high-school boyfriend Ted Harper, and they married in 1991.

In 1998, Karen became Clinical Coordinator of Older Adult Behavioral Health Services at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. She remained in that position until she took a position at Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke in 2002. From 2002 until 2014 she was employed at Providence, first as Program Clinical Director of older-adult psychiatric inpatient services, and then as Director of Clinical Programming.  She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Holyoke Council on Aging and of the Alzheimer’s Association where she was also a trainer at local nursing homes and other facilities.

During her early years at Providence, she and Ted purchased a house on the Connecticut River in Holyoke, fulfilling Karen’s long-held dream of living by the water full-time. Throughout her life, Karen was a creative and caring person in her personal and professional relationships.  She was deeply committed to recognizing the dignity of each person with whom she worked, whether they were patients or colleagues. She reached out to help those around her and developed deep friendships that she sustained throughout her life. In her final months, family members, colleagues, and devoted friends gathered to spend time with her at her home by the river, while Karen tended her flower and herb gardens, thought up new craft projects, and continued to show a keen interest and concern for others’ lives and welfare even as her own body was failing.

Karen is survived by her father Eli Kwartler; husband Theodore Harper; son George Mock of Southwick; son Kevin Mock and his wife Cara of Springfield; brother Jonathan Kwartler and his wife Rochelle of Cherry Hill, NJ; sister Dianne Jensen of Old Saybrook, CT; stepmother Barbara Benda Jenkins of Pelham and stepsister Eve Jenkins (John Monch) of Takoma Park, MD; niece Megan Jensen Sher (Adam Sher) of Falls Village, CT;  nephew Wesley Jensen of Groton, CT; nephews David Kwartler and Joshua Kwartler both of Philadelphia; grandson Kevin Mock, Jr.; great-nephew Eli Sher, and step-niece Althea Davey; dear friends Adrienne DeSantis, Marie Buskey-Redmond, Karen Redmond and Donna Longley, along with many other relatives and friends.

Making it possible for Karen to fulfill her wish to remain in her home until her death were staff members of the Cooley Dickinson Hospice team along with her husband, her niece, her father, her sister, and her friends mentioned above.

Funeral services will be held at the Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main Street, Amherst at 10 o’clock on Monday, October 16. Burial will follow the services in the Jewish Community of Amherst Cemetery in Shutesbury. 

Memorial gifts in Karen’s name may be made to Cooley Dickinson VNA/Hospice, 168 Industrial Dr., Northampton, MA 01060 or www.cooleydickinson.org/giving/vna-hospice-giving; Cancer Connection, 41 Locust St., Northampton, MA 01060 or www.cancer_connection.org; Alzheimers’s Association, 264 Cottage St., Springfield, MA  01104 or www.alzmass.org/ spirit.asp