Karen Griffith

Karen Amundson Griffith passed away peacefully on July 16, 2024 at the age of 98. She lived a long, fulfilling life, and she will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Born May 8, 1926 in Duluth, MN to Walter and Margaret Amundson, she spent most of her life there before moving with her beloved husband Leonard to Tucson, AZ in the 1980’s. She loved the out of doors, whether it was playing tennis, cross country or downhill skiing, hiking (once to the bottom of the Grand Canyon), many picnics on the shores of Lake Superior, or entertaining friends and family. Her many activities and interests included music, the arts, crafts, volunteering to numerous causes, travel and socializing.

She was also a good piano player, and enjoyed sitting down to work out a jazz standard or a classical piece, including Rachmaninoff. To this end, she and Leonard established a music scholarship fund at UMD.

Karen attended the Normal School at the Old Main campus of UMD, East Jr. HS, and Central HS, where she was voted Best Dressed, a title she would not relinquish throughout her life. She went on to earn a degree in Journalism at the University of Minnesota, where she joined the Alpha Phi sorority. One of her favorite jobs while attending the U of M was ushering for the Met Opera on Tour when they would perform at the university.

It was there she met Leonard, and in 1948 they married at Duluth’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. After living briefly in the Twin Cities, they returned to Duluth with a young son, David. Leonard was then called back into the service in the early 1950's. Now as a Captain, he was deployed to Japan for the Korean Conflict, during which time daughter Margaret was born. No doubt Karen had her hands full with a newborn and a toddler. As parents, they took the kids on many road trip adventures, such as the Circle Tour of Lake Superior, and trips to Mobile, AL to visit Karen's sister. They encouraged excellence in sports, a love for the outdoors, and trips to the library.

As a community advocate, Karen was named Volunteer of the Year by the Junior League in 1967. Among her many contributions included volunteering at the United Fund, American Cancer Society, St. Mary's and St. Lukes Hospitals, Heart Association, March of Dimes, Tweed Museum of Art, the Duluth Rehabilitation Center, serving as the American Field Service (AFS) chairperson, delivering Meals on Wheels, teaching Sunday School, helping with Cub Scouts and Brownies, serving as PTA president, and conducting tours at the historic Glensheen mansion. She served on the board of the Northwood Children’s Home, was active in the Duluth Playhouse, and had interests in the Women’s Institute of Duluth and the League of Women Voters. As an empty-nester in the late 1970's, she worked as an administrative assistant with Bruce Stender, the president of the College of St. Scholastica, and in the early 1980's helped run the Duluth Festival for the Arts.

Through the AFS program, her family hosted a student from Geneva, Switzerland, Alec Martin-Achard, for the 1967 school year at Duluth East HS. Ever since, even from afar, Alec has been a member of the family.

Although having never attended the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), Karen and Leonard were big boosters of the school, especially the Tweed Museum on campus, and their beloved Bulldog hockey team.

When they moved to Tucson, Karen never stopped working and volunteering, covering the southwest as an independent clothing rep, organizing block parties in their new neighborhood, driving for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), volunteering as a docent at the Tohono Chul Gardens, and supporting the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. She also volunteered to read to the children at Imago Dei, a small, independent, tuition-free private school in Tucson for low-income, under-resourced families.

Karen was an expert knitter into the last year of her life, crafting international flag sweaters for a local boutique in Duluth in the 1960’s, and in Tucson she knitted prayer shawls for the home bound and scarves for service members. She also knitted gifts for friends and family, and was especially beloved for making her famous blankie quilts for her grand and great grandchildren when they were born.

Well into her 90’s during the pandemic when she was less mobile, Karen quickly adapted to Zoom and enjoyed staying in touch with her knitting group as well as watching church services.

Karen was an active member of St. Philips in the Hills Episcopal Church, where she was honored with a memorial service and was interred next to her husband Leonard in the beautiful Columbarium garden. Karen is preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Leonard, her two sisters, Ruth Ann and Louise, and beloved grandson Matthew Larson. She is survived by her three children, David (Michele), Margaret, Tom (Therese), five grandchildren – Genna, Evan, Carrie, Julia, and Lily – and four great grandchildren.

Karen will be remembered for her love of life, family and friends, many of whom would receive a birthday card like clockwork every year. She had a steadfast curiosity to learn more about people and places, she had a fearless spirit, a love of anything chocolate, an unwavering sense of correct grammar and spelling, and a devoted attention to detail. There is no doubt she made the world a better place.

Memorials may be gifted to Imago Dei Middle School, 55 North 6th Ave. Tucson AZ 85701, and the UMD Karen A. and Leonard E. Griffith Music Scholarship Fund #6194 at the University of Minnesota Foundation, PO Box 860266, Minneapolis MN 55486-0266, or one of your choice.