Karen P. Gallagher, age 71, of Rotonda West, Florida died in her home of cardiac arrest on March 1, 2024. She was born in Salisbury, Maryland in 1952 to Jacob Horace (Husky) and Doris Lee Roswell (Roz) Payne.
Karen's family moved to Florida in 1957 and Karen graduated from Venice High School (Venice, FL) in 1970. She obtained her AA degree in Marketing from Manatee Community College (Bradenton, FL) and also an AA degree in Interior Design (Tampa, FL).
Karen married the love of her life, William Alan Fabry on May 14, 1977 at the St. James Episcopal Church in Port Charlotte, Florida. Sadly, she was widowed May 1, 1980 as Alan succumbed to cancer.
Karen was the Branch Manager of Florida Central Credit Union in the 1980’s and worked as a Marketing Manager at The John and Mable Museum of Art in the 1990’s. She later worked for Sarasota Jungle Gardens in Marketing and a Visitor Center Coordinator for Visit Sarasota County. Recently Karen was a Merchandising Associate for Premium Retail and Acosta Group in Englewood, Northport and Port Charlotte, Florida.
One of her closest companions while growing up was her cousin, Connie Hickman Miller of Delaware. She also enjoyed fun times with her friends Willy and Merle in Bradenton, FL where she lived for many years.
She was an avid connoisseur of entertaining and loved reading, cooking and collecting cookbooks. As a hobby and up until the time of her death, she was putting together a cookbook of her own. She had a soft spot for her furry friends treating each as the valuable family member they were. She had multiple cats over the years named Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Oliver and a Doberman named Bernadette.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents Husky & Roz Payne and husband Alan Fabry. She is survived by her brother Steven H. Payne (Steve) and his wife Judy Dinova Payne (Englewood, FL), her nephew Steven Christopher Payne (Port Charlotte, FL) and her niece Sarah Nicole Payne (Houston, TX).
Karen will be missed every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.
Private family services will be held.
