Published in the Spokesman – Review, Spokane, Washington
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Karen J. Goodrich-Hedrick passed away peacefully at home in the early morning of April 24, 2018 at the age of 75. Karen was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 22, 1942 to Manzer and Florence Goodrich. The family moved to Southern California in 1949 where she graduated from Burbank High School with the Class of 1960. Karen attended UCSB where she met John Hedrick and they were married in 1961 and moved to Sasebo, Japan. Karen continued with her college education, living in Japan, Connecticut, Hawaii and California, graduating from San Diego State University in 1968 with a BA in History and German.
In the mid-70’s Karen (aka Karen James) lived in Philadelphia with her family and became a singer/songwriter and performed with her guitar and dulcimer with the band “Committee of Correspondence.” Moving back to San Diego, Karen decided to become an educator and received her teaching credential in 1986. An M. Ed soon followed and she taught second and fifth grade at Bird Rock Elementary School for 23 years, retiring in 2005. Just prior to retiring, she traveled to Guatemala and fell in love with the children in the city of Santiago Atitian. She met Amanda Flayer, a former Peace Corps volunteer and they developed an instant rapport over their mutual concerns with the educational needs of the Mayan children in Santiago. They became co-founders of La Biblioteca Puerta Abierta, starting in a small room in a building in the heart of Santiago. The learning center continued to grow and now is a recognized school in Guatemala with eight teachers and a library of over 2,000 books and a traveling library that services six surrounding communities.
Karen moved to Spokane in 2009 and became a Substitute Teacher with Spokane City Schools and during her free time taught English to recent immigrants. Karen belonged to many clubs and professional organizations in Spokane including AAUW, DKG, PEO, Symphony Associates, Compass Club, Spokane Dinner Club, Monday Lunch Bunch and others.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Nancy Goodrich. She is survived by her husband John, sons David and Stephen Hedrick, daughters-in-laws, Lauri and Andrea, six grandchildren, Chelsea, Lindsey, John, Brandon, Delivan and Cooper and two great- grandchildren, Riley and Grayson.
Karen will live on through all her students, friends and colleagues whose lives she touched throughout her years. Her warm smile and infectious laugh will never be forgotten!
Tax deductible Memorials can be made by visiting Karen’s favorite charity at www.atitianabierta.com or send directly to: The Sparks Foundation, PO Box 9459, Jackson, WY, 83002. Please make a note “La Puerta Abierta.” As Karen always said, “Muchas gracias por apoyar a nuestra escuela”! A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.
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