Karen Tee (née Woodsmall)

Karen was born in Washington, D.C. in 1944, but grew up in Southern California, where she was a product of the hippy generation – doing drugs and burning bras in the 1960s. However, she was also a trailblazer when she became one of the first women to get her Ph.D. in neuroscience, drive a motorcycle, and go skydiving.

Armed with a strong reference from the now-late Dr. Austin Reisen (a celebrated U.C. Riverside pioneer in sensory deprivation and brain function) and hoping to work with his now-late fellow researcher (McGill's Dr. Donald Hebb), she came to Montreal in 1970. Her original plan was to work in neuroscience and study French for a year on her way to Paris. Luckily for her two daughters Paula and Julie, she never made it there, because she met Patrick, the love of her life, just around the block from where they ultimately lived and raised their family.

Karen made it her life’s work to share her knowledge and passion with future generations. Since 1970, she was a dedicated and creative teacher teaching first at Sir George Williams (now Concordia University), then at Vanier College from 1973 until her retirement in 2014. Yet even after her retirement, she remained a born teacher and frequently volunteered to give guest lectures for her colleagues. She would have been pleased to know that her contribution to education and science continued until the very last moments of her life, helping to educate young medical residents and participating in four clinical studies while in-hospital: two examining ventilator-associated pneumonia and two additional ones exploring consciousness and brain functioning in comatose patients.

Karen died on December 19th 2018 at 9:42 PM, surrounded by her family, while listening to “A Heart Full of Love” from Les Misérables—one of her favorite musicals, and one that she saw in London, England with her eldest daughter Paula in the 1990s. She leaves behind her husband and best friend of 48 years Patrick, two adult daughters Paula (Jean) & Julie (Frank), younger brothers Dave (Joany) & Roger, and many cherished friends.

Parts of Karen will continue to (literally) live on in others: At the age of 74, she became the McGill University Health Centre’s oldest organ donor after circulatory determination of death and one of the oldest donors in the province. Her kidneys were later successfully transplanted into two Montreal-area recipients at the Royal Victoria Hospital on the morning of December 20th 2018. Being an organ donor was something very important to her, and she would be very pleased to know that she was able to give a very special Christmas gift to two people and their families.

Karen’s family would like to thank the wonderful staff from the Intensive Care Unit, the Neurology Consult team, the Spiritual Care team, and the Organ & Tissue liaison team, plus the Critical Care Research Coordinator at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In addition to providing medical treatment to Karen, the staff went above and beyond to care for, and support, her family and friends.

We invite everyone to join us for a celebration of Karen’s life to be held on Sunday, January 13th 2019 at 3:00 PM:

Unitarian Church of Montreal
5035 de Maisonneuve West (corner Claremont; near Vendome metro on the Orange line)
Montreal, QC H4A 1Y5

Free but limited street parking is available, and a paid parking lot is available across the street for $16-$24.

In keeping with Karen’s wishes, the event will be a joyous one, and everyone is encouraged to wear bright colors, especially her favorite – pink. After the service, lights refreshments, including some of Karen’s favorite foods, will be served. To help the family plan the refreshment logistics, kindly use the RSVP feature of the event (https://tinyurl.com/CelebratingKaren).

In lieu of flowers, Karen’s family would gratefully accept donations in her memory to the Vanier College Foundation (http://vaniercollegefoundation.com/donate/) to continue improving the lives of deserving Vanier students.