It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Karen Florence Kumer, age 77. She passed away peacefully at home on December 18, 2024, with family by her side.
Karen was born on May 29, 1947, in the Bronx to Marion (O’Rourke) and Joseph Kumer. She was raised there with her younger brother, Thomas Kumer, until the family moved to Tappan, New York, in 1965. She began her career as an English teacher at Nanuet Union Free School District directly after attending college at St. Thomas Aquinas for her undergraduate and Iona for her master’s degree. She retired from teaching in 2003.
It was at the Nanuet schools that she met her husband Dr. Carlo Ritschl and the two lovebirds have been together for an amazing 50 years. Karen was Carlo’s rock, and his Type B personality perfectly complimented Karen’s Type A. The couple moved to Monroe, New York, in 1977, where they raised their two children, Emily and Joseph, for whom Karen was forever proud. Her children established their own families with Ryan Marks and Ricci Bosley, respectively. Karen was joyfully “Grammy” to Sonny Marks, Marlo and Jocelyn Ritschl, Dominic and Rory Bosley, and another granddaughter on the way. Her grandchildren became the absolute light of her life. In 2018, Karen and Carlo moved to Warwick to be closer to family and friends.
Karen had an enormously generous heart, selflessly always putting the needs of others before hers. She was passionate about fairness, women’s rights and social justice. Karen was extremely intelligent and instilled a passion for education, reading, and writing in her family. She regularly answered the nightly “Jeopardy!” questions correctly, and she was instrumental in assisting Carlo in successfully editing his doctoral thesis. She was full to the brim of knowledge with an extraordinary vocabulary gained as a bibliophile, but also through all of her life experiences. Some of her favorite memories included driving her aquamarine Karmann Ghia and Volvo convertibles while tapping vivaciously on the steering wheel to music, vacations pre and post children with her brother and sister-in-law Randy Kumer, spending endless hours on the phone, shopping, and lunching with her best friend, Lynn Elardi, scuba diving in the Florida Keys and taking trips cross country in the Chinook Camper and Winnebago RV with Carlo, and most especially, spending summers at the Wakonda Family Campground in the Adirondacks with her loved ones. She is remembered for her sense of humor, her unwavering determination and strength, her pristine house and holiday decorations that made their home filled with warmth, and most of all, the love for her family and friends.
Her strength and her desire to put others first persisted until the very end. This enabled her family to care for her in her home until the last days of her life. She likely would have critiqued and edited her own obituary, but we are confident she knows that we tried our best to do her justice to express the love we have for her in our own way.
A celebration of life will be held soon, and we will notify all family and friends when the celebration is planned.
In memory of Karen, donations may be made to the Hospice of Orange and Sullivan County, Inc. She will be dearly missed.
The family has entrusted Karen’s care to the Flynn family and Flynn Funeral and Cremation Memorial Center staff.