Karen M. Robison

Karen Marie Robison, 64, died peacefully in her apartment in Tucson, Arizona on September 19, 2024. Karen was born on June 30,1960 in Denver, Colorado, the oldest of five children to Mike and Ann Robison. Her parents moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1965. 

Karen graduated from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis in 1978. She went on to attend Vincennes University earning a Liberal Arts Degree in 1981. She next attended American University, Washington DC, majoring in Marketing and Business Administration graduating in 1983. 

Karen was on the ground floor of a couple business start-ups and worked in management roles for various companies through the years, including website design. She lived in various cities, including Vincennes, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Tucson, Arizona.

Wherever she lived, Karen was an asset to her community always trying to figure out how to contribute her skills to charitable organizations or events. When living in Colorado Springs, she was involved in Search and Rescue operations. In her earlier years she was instrumental in organizing and helping to build the largest Catholic Singles Group in Tucson of that time.

Karen was a spirited and loving individual who knew no strangers and embraced life with zeal. She was a true outdoorswoman and lover of any and all adventures, parties, festivals, social gatherings, etc. and always ready to go anywhere on a moment’s notice.

Her hobbies reflected her love for traveling and the great outdoors whether it was hiking, skiing, camping, kayaking, snow shoeing, mountain biking, mushroom hunting or her huge love of cooking.

After a tragic accident in 2009, in which her mother passed and left her wheelchair bound, Karen became an advocate for better accessibility and transportation options for the handicapped in Tucson. She regularly attended town hall meetings and worked with city planning officials to push for improvements. Karen played a vital role in helping plan and secure sidewalks that were wheelchair accessible, ensuring greater mobility for those with disabilities. Karen was also well known by those who knew her in urban Tucson for volunteering annually in full festive costume as Mrs. Santa Claus in Tucson’s Downtown Parade of Lights and as a skeleton in Dia de Los Muertos Parades.

Those closest to Karen knew she was a person of great potential who faced the challenges of living with a complex mental condition. 

While her journey was marked by struggles, her family never ceased to love her. Despite her illness, which she could not recognize, we saw her brilliance, compassion, and the beauty she brought into the world. It is with profound sadness that we reflect on the difficulties she faced and the limits of what her family could do to help. Our hearts ache for the Karen we knew and for the Karen we wished could have had the support needed to thrive.

Karen’s story is a reminder of the challenges faced by families who love someone with mental illness and navigating a society where help is not always accessible or accepted. Though her path took her away from us, her memory remains with us—forever loved, forever missed.

Karen is preceded in death by her father, Michael P. Robison; mother, Bernette “Ann” Robison; and brother, Kevin Robison. 

She is survived by siblings, Patricia Thomas (Chris), Chris Robison, Cheri Stieber (Mike); nieces and nephew, Desiree Hummeldorf, Stasha Prewitt, Seamus Thomas, Micaela Stieber, and Arianna Stieber.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Indianapolis, date yet to be determined. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Tucson Community Partners Mental Health or the Mental Health America of Indiana organizations in hopes that others may find the help and support that Karen, despite our efforts, was unable to receive.

Tucson Mental Health Charity: https://www.communitypartnersinc.org/     https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/860277999 

Indianapolis Mental Health Charity: https://mhai.net/donate/       https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/350896905