Karleena Ravenwood's Obituary
Karleena Ravenwood née Caroline Kirby died peacefully on August 1, 2016. Karleena is survived by her husband John Dore, her daughters Sesaly Stamps and Kathryn Stamps, Sesaly’s children Quentin and Simone, her brother Peter Kirby and sister-in-law Rosanna Albertini, Peter’s daughters Rachel and Hannah, her sister Jen McGregor and brother-in-law Rick McGregor. Karleena was born on June 11, 1946 in Ottumwa, Iowa, in the county hospital just across the Missouri state line where her parents William and Mary Louise Kirby lived in Memphis, Missouri. The family later moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Karleena spent her childhood. As a young adult she moved to the northeast with her first husband and eventually settled in Newton, Massachusetts where she raised her daughters. Karleena met her second husband John in 1988 and the two embarked on many adventures for the next 28 years. Karleena earned her bachelor’s degree from UMass-Boston, followed by a master’s degree in psychological counseling and substance abuse from Antioch New England while she and John lived in Putney, Vermont. Karleena and John moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1999. Karleena’s life centered around her family, her communities of friends, her passion for music, her love of gardening, her frequent trips to Sedona and her less frequent trips to Hawaii. She founded the Tucson Women’s Chorus in 2002 and served as its director for thirteen years. Karleena played cello, classical guitar and ukulele, among many other instruments, and devoted much of her life to nurturing a love of music in others and to providing a safe and inviting space for all women and girls to “find their voice” in song. A memorial service for Karleena will be held on Saturday, September 17, 1:00 pm at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, Karleena’s family requests that donations be made to the Rowe Center and be designated to the Woodside Campership Fund. Rowe is a Unitarian Universalist camp and conference center in western Massachusetts that had a singular impact on Karleena’s life. She met John there, participated in and helped to facilitate numerous camp and conference activities during her years in New England, served as interim executive director for a year, and served on its board of directors. During her time on the board, Karleena actively worked to help establish the Campership Fund to provide young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to participate in the empowering and enriching experience of Rowe’s summer camp programs. Donations can be sent to UU Rowe Camp & Conference Center, PO Box 273, Rowe, MA 01367 or online at www.rowecenter.org.
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