Karen Wright Robison, age 83, passed away Saturday, April 24, 2021 at her home in South Jordan, Utah. She was the first child born into the loving home of LeRoy H. and Leota June Murphy Wright on February 12, 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri. She had many fond memories of living in Missouri, close to her Murphy relatives. She loved playing in the woods, listening to her mother tell stories from the Old Testament, and watching her dad, whom she described as one who knew everything and could do anything.  Karen wanted to grow up to be like her mother, who was an outstanding teacher and speaker. Karen loved flowers, birds, and other small animals. She was so excited to welcome siblings and loved to help care for them.

When Karen was 8 years old her family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Along with her family she loved going on drives, taking picnics, and playing on the sand hills near the point of the mountain. She enjoyed going to a Young Women camp, participating in music, dance, and speech festivals, roadshows, and Gold and Green balls. She also looked forward to their summer trips back to Missouri to visit her grandparents. In 1956, she went to Brigham Young University and majored in English. She met LaVoy Robison on a blind date and they were married September 14, 1959 in the Salt Lake Temple. They both graduated from BYU in June 1960.

Karen and LaVoy moved to Oakland, California, then moved with their family to Schenectady, New York, and finally to Littleton, Colorado where they lived for almost 50 years. In 2019, they moved back to Utah and were grateful to be close to family.

Karen was a devoted mother and she and LaVoy welcomed six children into their home. She was a very busy mother canning, cooking, quilting, and decorating their home for holidays. She was also an excellent seamstress and spent many hours sewing clothes for her family. She loved music, attending symphony concerts, and was happy to have her children take music lessons. She was great at looking on the bright side and would remind her children that “things will work out” as they faced life’s difficulties.

Being involved in the community was important to Karen. She volunteered at schools, was a docent for the Denver Rotary Club’s Artists of America art show, and volunteered at Families First where she answered calls from people who had parenting questions.

Karen also enjoyed participating in several book clubs over the years. She was passionate about reading! She loved reading to her children and grandchildren, and purchased hundreds of books for her family and others to enjoy.

She eagerly anticipated Women’s Conference at BYU each spring where she loved spending time with her sisters and sister-in-law and attending classes. She filled hundreds of notebooks with notes (mostly in shorthand) of things she learned from a variety of speakers on many different occasions. She loved to share the insights she gained in phone calls or weekly family emails.

Karen delighted in entertaining people in her home, whether it was inviting the school bus driver to Thanksgiving dinner or hosting lovely wedding receptions.

Karen loved to serve. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent many years serving in a variety of callings. She put her whole heart into each opportunity, whether she was serving as the Nursery leader or in the Denver Temple.

She loved her family.  She loved spending time with them on family trips, at Aspen Grove, and for special occasions. Her great qualities live on in her posterity. She taught us how to be dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ, to work hard, to serve our families and others, and to develop our talents.

Karen loved the Savior and spent many hours studying the gospel.  She enjoyed teaching seminary and other church classes.  She shared her testimony of Christ’s teachings throughout her life with her words and her actions.

Karen is survived by her husband: LaVoy; children: Melisa Chadwick (George), Margo Edwards (Paul), Janette Leifson (Hal), Douglas (Suzanne), Nancy Robison and son-in-law: Kevin Fisher; twenty-nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; her sisters: Katherine Hess and Sharolyn Starrs; and brothers: Kermit, Peter, Lauren, and Scott Wright.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister: Patricia Hatch, and her daughter: Lynnette Fisher.

The Funeral Service attended by her family will be held on Saturday, May 1, at 1:00 pm, at the Fillmore 1st Ward LDS Chapel, 290 East 500 South. Friends are invited to view the streaming video of the Funeral Service at: https://youtu.be/Ht7lunbgI8Y. The link will also be posted on her obituary page at www.nicklemortuary.com. Burial will be in the Fillmore City Cemetery. In honoring Karen, her family encourages following her example to feed the hungry by donating to your local food bank.