Karen Joan Ward

Karen Joan Ward

April 19, 1959 - September 19, 2026

If you ever had the privilege of being welcomed to “Mom’s House,” then you already know that she showed love through food. The cheesecake she made for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The spinach dip that would disappear as quickly as she could put it out. The french onion soup that made an ordinary evening feel a little bit more special. These were more than just recipes, they were pieces of Mom that she shared generously with the ones she loved.

Karen Joan Ward (nee McCabe) was born to Felix Joseph McCabe Jr. and Carol Ann Cousins on April 19, 1959 in East Orange, New Jersey. From an early age, Karen had a passion for life. She joined clubs like 4H, participated in school sports like track and field and color guard, and still found time to take care of her treasure trove of animals back home. She enjoyed horseback riding, visiting Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg with her grandmother for a sweet treat, and helping her parents train their German Shepherds at Conover Farms.

After graduating from Freehold Township High School, Karen married and began a family of her own, becoming a devoted mother to six children. In time, life brought new chapters, and she found love again with her high school sweetheart, Lenny, with whom she welcomed a seventh child. While Karen’s family continued to grow and change throughout the years, one thing always remained constant: the love she had for them.

Baking and cooking were talents that came to Karen very naturally,and she was generous enough to share those talents with anyone she met. She loved sharing recipes, teaching her children (and grandchildren) to cook, and, perhaps, most importantly, never judging if your recipe turned out terrible!

Karen could often be found in the car with WAMC playing in the background, much to her granddaughters’ chagrin. She specifically enjoyed listening to Food Friday, Medical Monday, and the daily Roundtable. She was always eager to learn a new recipe, hear a new perspective, or learn something new. And, of course, Karen was never one to keep a good recipe or an interesting bit of information to herself. She was always eager to pass along something she thought her family might enjoy.

Karen also excelled at sewing and she learned later in life how to hand make Christmas Stockings. As soon as she learned how to make them, she never stopped. She made over 20 beautifully hand-stitched Christmas stockings for her family, friends, and even strangers. In 2024, she won first place and Best of Fair at the Saratoga County Fair for her attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Karen’s greatest joy, besides a table full of family, was her granddaughters: Lauryn, Mary, and Stella. They were her world, and she never needed a special occasion to make a little bit of magic for them. She loved sitting down for tea parties, arts and crafts projects, and the occasional shopping trips to Boscov’s. Karen also loved creating stories for her granddaughters about princesses and their grandmother queen, who ruled over a kingdom of horses and went on daily picnics to the creek. She even dreamed of one day turning her own fairytales into a children’s book to share with others.

Family was at the heart of everything Karen did. She loved, more than anything, being a mother and grandmother, and she found countless ways to show the people in her life just how much they meant to her. Karen expressed her love through acts of kindness like handmade gifts, warm meals, and funny stories. These are the things her family will miss so much, but they are also the treasures her family will carry with them and remember for years to come.

In the later years of her life, Karen was lovingly cared for at home by her daughters, Katherine and Rose, and her son-in-law Jacob. Together, they devoted themselves to keeping Karen surrounded by the comfort, love, and familiarity of home and family.

Karen is survived by her children, Melissa, James, Jessica, Matthew (Whitney), Robert (Alicia), Katherine (Jacob) and Rose (Brennan); her 10 grandchildren; her mother, Carol; her sisters, Nanci, Jaqueline, and Helen; and many more extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her partner Leonard, her father Felix, and her siblings Catherine and Philip.

A service will be held on Thursday, October 1, at 6:00pm, with visiting hours beginning at 5:00pm at New Comer Cremations & Funerals, 181 Troy Schenectady Road, Watervliet. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Karen’s honor to the Shriners Children Hospital, Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, or to your local NPR station.