SPENCER — Karen Coakley, 66, passed away on Saturday, October 26, 2024, surrounded by her family at UMASS-Medical in Worcester. Born in Worcester, Karen was the daughter of Jay and Marcia (Russell) Malmquist and was the youngest of three siblings. She grew up in Worcester and graduated from Burncoat High School and Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Karen moved to Spencer in 1992 with her husband of 35 years Brian Coakley of Spencer. She leaves behind her husband Brian Coakley and her dear children: her son Shane Coakley and his partner, Christie Kiernan of Westfield, MA; her daughter Rori Coakley and her partner Victor Zavala; and her son Jack Coakley and his wife, Saengphet Coakley of Bedford, MA. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren, Brian and Kelly of Westfield and Viviane of Bedford, her brother, Scott Malmquist of Worcester, sister, Pam Malmquist of Worcester, and several nieces and nephews.
Karen was extremely devoted to her family. She relished in taking care of her children and grandchildren and gladly took care of many nieces and nephews. Her greatest attributes were her kindness, patience, and selflessness in raising her children as well as caring for others. She always received you with a warm hug and made you feel like you were at home. She was first and foremost a mother, wife, and grandmother. She would do anything for her family and was a natural and talented caregiver. Her motherly advice phone calls to her children were cherished and insightful and will be sorely missed by all.
She was an excellent cook and loved using her skills to make many different recipes and cuisines for family and friends. Her favorite was hosting the holidays: cooking and decorating the house for everyone. She also loved to garden as her favorite place was looking out into her beautiful backyard loaded with trees, flowers, shrubs, rocks, and stonewalls.
Karen enjoyed going to the ocean especially Ogunquit, ME and walking the Marginal Way. She was an avid cruiser and had recently completed a two-week cruise with her husband. She also loved shopping with her daughter, thrift shopping with her friends, and watching the Red Sox with her husband. She was an avid lover of animals and cared for many pets throughout the years including several cats, her chihuahua Mollie, her childhood dogs Suzy and Dolly, and in recent years her grandpup and grandkitties.
Her funeral services will be held privately at the convenience of the family.