Basic Needs/Social Services
For decades Karen O’Connor was a beloved teacher and coach at Lewis Mills High School. She was a three-sport athlete at Southern Connecticut State College, where she received her Bachelor's Degree. She received her Master's Degree from Springfield College in Mass.
She knew how much good local nonprofits were doing in her community. She wanted to help.
A life-long sports enthusiast Karen taught physical education and coached countless students participating in hockey, basketball, cheerleading, badminton, and tennis. Karen was named National Coach-of-the-Year for Girl's Sports in District 1 in 1978 and received multiple Coach Of The Year awards from the Connecticut Coaches Association. In 1983, she was named the first female president of the 3,000-member Connecticut High School Coaches Association, and in 2006, she was inducted into the Ken Hoagland Lewis S. Mills Athletic Hall of Fame.
Karen eventually retired to Vero Beach, Fla. where she served as President of the SeaWatch Condominium Association and was a member of the Quail Valley Golf Club, but she never forgot her deep connection to Northwest Connecticut. “Karen’s roots were in Norfolk, where she grew up,” said Margo O’Connor, Karen’s sister-in-law.
“She was a friendly, amicable person. “She knew how much good local nonprofits were doing in her community. She wanted to help.” Through her estate planning, Karen established the Northwest CT Community Foundation Karen M. O'Connor Fund.
The Fund supports elderly and disabled care for residents of Norfolk, Winsted and Torrington. It also supports local nonprofits when and where it’s needed the most.
