Karen M. Gamst
156 Derby Rd.

Obituary

Karen M. Gamst 64, died unexpectantly on August 2, 2021. Karen was born on June 29, 1957 in Cambridge, MA and grew up in Somerville and Melrose. Karen was the beloved daughter of Noreen C. Gamst and the late Frank L. Gamst. Karen was the devoted and loving mother of Brittany Gamst. Karen was the cherished fiancé of Paul Simard. She was the loving sister of Christian Gamst and his wife Cheryl, Diane Gamst, Kevin Gamst and girlfriend Leah Dow, Lawrence Gamst and his wife Sheila and Eleanor Hounsell and her husband Jason. Karen also was the beloved and doting aunt to Kristin, Kevin Jr., Kyle, Christian, Ryan, Patrick and Shannon. Karen is survived by her stepfather John Kent, many aunts, uncles, cousins, great nieces and great nephews.

Karen was very proud of her family, as well as her Irish and Italian heritage. She was an animal lover who adored spending time with her grand dogs. She enjoyed reading, traveling to Ireland, taking day trips, frequenting restaurants, and dancing. She was also an avid coffee drinker. Karen had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to make people laugh. Karen’s personality, spirit, heart, and infectious laughter will live on through the hearts and minds of all the people who had the good fortune to have known and loved her.

Visiting hours will be held from the Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Chestnut Street, ARLINGTON on Monday from 4-7pm. Her Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday at St. Agnes Church, 30 Medford Street, ARLINGTON at 11:30AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Karen’s name to either: Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114 or Animal Rescue League of Boston, 10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116.

By Paul Simard, borrowed from Tribute wall
My Beautiful Karen,
It is three months ago tonight that I lost you.
Here is the Eulogy I had written but was unable to give during your mass.

17 years ago we met at bingo, innocently flirting and I was dreaming of meeting you. Eventually my dream came true after you won and your friends asked me and another bingo worker to join you all for Chinese food. After that we went on our first date and the rest is history
Karen was a loving mother and was always hoping for the best for her daughter Brittany. When deciding what we were going to do on the weekends Karen would always say “I need to find out what Brittany’s plans are” before we made any plans.
Karen was always concerned and wanting to help others. When family and friends needed help she was there for them. If it was letting them stay at her home, staying with them at their home or just someone to talk to she did not hesitate and never excepted anything in return.
Karen was loved by everyone she came in contact with. Her personality made everyone feel comfortable having a conversation with her. If it was at bingo, Dunkins, department stores, restaurants they all fell in love with her and would remember her forever.
It did not take much to make Karen happy. Getting her hair done and nails painted was all she needed to bring the biggest smile to her face. I loved the smile and happiness it would bring to her. I would look forward to picking her up because it made her so happy.
Then there is coffee and Dunkin Donuts. Karen loved her coffee. I would joke with her as we would be driving and coming up to a Dunkin Donuts, I would say you do not want a Dunkin do you? She would give me a look and we would pull in to get coffee. The memory of Karen with her hot Dunkin coffee with a straw will be with us forever.
When it was time to get away we would be off to Foxwoods. This was our outlet to get away and enjoy some alone time. She had her favorite machines that she would play for hours. The last couple times we went we would eat at Guy Fieri’s, We talked how good the food was and we will always have our memories there.
Karen has touched us all in many ways, I will keep her in my heart forever and eternity.
I love you Karen so much, God bless, I miss you so much.