OPINION
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 6
Karen Mattson was my friend, and she would be so mad at me for making such a fuss about her.
That said, Karen deserved everything good that's been said about her.
She was perfectly real. She was loyal and kind. She was humble and hated people giving her credit for things, even though she did so much that was worth highlighting.
In fact, she was grumpy with me for making her take the photo that ran in 2019 and accompanies the article I wrote about her for this issue .
Karen was one of the first people I met in the course of my work for the Post-Signal.
I went to her home to interview her husband about his aspirations, and I was instantly drawn to her.
Karen showed real love and compassion to everyone I saw her interact with, me included.
The only person she seemed to struggle to show grace to was herself, so she understood why I struggle with that. Karen was an incredible mother to her son, Gabriel. Thinking about him navigating life without her seems like the cruelest part of this whole experience.
Karen made the world around her better. She didn't know how not to.
One of my friends talked about how she must have had more than 24 hours in a day because she just filled her days with so much.
I honestly have no idea how she was there for so many people all at once.
Grief is a weird thing. It hits in waves and makes you bawl in the stall at Sonic.
That said, I would much rather grieve Karen Mattson than have gone without knowing her.
Love with your whole heart and serve causes you believe in without pause.
Be like Karen.
Abigail Allen is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at aallen@postsignal. com.
