LACONIA ---- Karna Erickson Feltham, 89, passed away on November 29, 2023 at the Taylor Community in Laconia, NH after a day surrounded by loved ones.
Karna was born in Providence, RI on August 22, 1934, daughter of Arthur E. Erickson and Ruth (Anderson) Erickson. A graduate of Cranston High School in the Class of 1952, Karna earned an Associates in Science degree from Lasell Jr. College, Auburndale, MA (1954) and (not to be outdone by her children) a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from New Hampshire College (now SNHU), Manchester, NH (1987).
In her early years, Karna spent many summers with her parents and brothers in the Plum Point/Wickford area of RI, where she enjoyed sailing and fishing in Narragansett Bay. She raised her own young family in Wellesley, MA and then, starting in the 1960s, the Laconia/Gilford area of New Hampshire. In the mid- eighties she moved to Bedford, NH to continue her education, and then back to Laconia, NH in 2003, where she took up residence at the Taylor Community until the end of her life.
Over the years she was active in Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts and was an active and beloved member in various capacities at the Wellesley Congregational Church, UCC; the Congregational Church of Laconia, UCC; the 1st Congregational Church of Manchester, UCC; and the Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC. Her main focus at these churches was Children’s Christian Education, including teaching, and she served as Deacon and Parish Visitor, and was involved in the Teaching Parish Program. While at Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC she organized a Prayer Shawl Ministry that drew participants from other denominations. At the Taylor Community she was active in various volunteer positions including the Independent Residents Association, Library, and Marketing.
Karna was employed by St. James Nursery School, William L. Gage Assoc., P.A., and the Lakes Region Mental Health Center, in Laconia, NH and by New Hampshire College and AMICA Insurance Company, in Manchester, NH, retiring from AMICA in April 2001.
Survivors include children Wayne Feltham and his wife Connie, Oviedo, FL; Karen Feltham and her husband Howard Warren, Gilford, NH; Rick Feltham, Concord, NH; and Joanna Swain and her husband David, Concord, MA; brother Andrew Erickson and his wife Polly, Ponte Vedra, FL; cousin Peter Setchell and his wife Joyce, N. Dighton, MA; grandchildren Jason Feltham and his wife Lindsey Atwood, Deltona, FL; Kate Warren and her husband Alex Sassaroli, New York, NY; Timothy Swain and Ruth Swain, Concord, MA; great-grandchild Jason A. Feltham; multiple nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews; and her companion Bob Ketchum, who provided love and support in her later years at Taylor.
Karna was predeceased by her parents, Ruth and Arthur Erickson; an infant son, Richard P. Feltham, Jr.; a brother, A. Edwin Erickson, Jr. and his wife Nancy Reid Erickson.
Per Karna’s wishes a private graveside service for family will be held at the Erickson family plot at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI.
For those who wish, donations in Karna’s memory may be made to her favorite causes: the Sanbornton Congregational Church, P.O. Box 126, Sanbornton, NH 03269; Canterbury Shaker Village Atn: Development Office, 288 Shaker Rd, Canterbury, NH 03224; Heifer International, Atn: Donor Services, 1 World Ave, Little Rock, AR 72202; and Habitat for Humanity International, 322 West Lamar St, Americus, GA 31709.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.