Ellen Louise Karkoska

When we become one with the universe, can we be defined by what we took with us, or by what we left behind? Ellen Karkoska took with her a personality that was at once gentle and loving, and tough and determined. When she finally lost a decades long battle with Scleroderma, Ellen had played many roles: daughter, loving wife, dog mom, sister, aunt, friend, good neighbor. Full of the joy of life, she loved nothing more than being with her husband, who sadly passed away years earlier, and her dog. She loved an evening spent in conversation with some of the many friends who are now left without her light. She also took from the world an eager traveler; so adept at finding the smartest deals online that she served as her own travel agent. Ellen had a eye for design and appreciated the finer things in life, selecting quality over quantity.

Remaining are the many people changed by her life. She held herself and others to a high standard. Our memory of a brave woman, determined not to let a relentlessly debilitating, terminal disease stop her from living a full life. When circumstance threw up a roadblock, she doggedly created a work-around and kept on. Her independence up to the very last masked the deepening power of her obstacles. Remaining are our photos of a woman with a dazzling smile, quickly shared with all who knew her. Even when punctured with tubes and linked to monitors, she flashed that beautiful smile. And if we listen hard enough, we are left with the unique sound of her quick, sometimes conspiratorial laugh. 

In the end we’re defined by both. The things that are gone, and the things that will forever be imprinted in our hearts. Here’s to you, Ellen. You fought the good fight and now you’ve earned your right to rest in peace. Ellen was 69.