Weep Not for Me
February 9, 2011 by admin
“Weep not for me though I am gone
Into the gentle night
Grieve if you will, but not for long
Upon my soul’s sweet flight.
There is no need for tears.
I am at peace, my soul is at rest
There is no pain, I suffer not,
For with your love I was so blessed.
I am in a place of comfort
The fear now is gone.
Put those things out of your thoughts,
In your memory I live on.
Remember not my fight for breath
Remember not the strife
Please do not dwell upon my death
But celebrate my life.”
If love could have saved Karen, she would have lived forever.
Read at Karen’s service on Feb 4, 2011 by Bobbi Solis
Poem from love-of-poems.com
Zaiden and Karen, Santa Monica, May 2010
Restless Soul and Zaiden’s Gift
February 9, 2011 by admin
Mark, Karen, Dad, Dave and Mom, October 2009
Karen Garcia
April 14, 1968 – January 27, 2011
Eulogy by Dave Garcia
I’m Karen’s brother. When she and I were growing up together, she used to say that if we had grown up in the 60’s, I would have been in the Army fighting in Vietnam and she would have been a hippie back in the United States protesting the war. This was her way of saying, “Dave and I are different people”… we have different ideologies, different politics, and different ideas about the world.
Anyone who ever knew Karen, knew that it was VERY important for her to set herself apart from conventional ideas. As my parents and their spouses can attest, Karen used to spend hours debating many subjects: From bedtimes and choice of schools earlier in life to career choices and parenting philosophies as an adult. Karen always had to be different.
Karen with Wings
The fact is, Karen and I are not that different. We have similar political beliefs and we have some important traits in common: We are hard-working, passionate, and extremely strong-willed. We share these traits with our brother, Mark, and we inherited these traits from our parents.
To be clear….when God was handing out the strong-willed gene, he gave Karen a triple dose.
Karen had an unwavering belief in her ideas and she was an extremely strong person. She was worthy of all of our respect because, whether you agreed with her or not, she was always strong in her beliefs.
When Karen was 8 years old, she was hit by a car. It was a rough time for our family. She broke both of her legs and she was in traction and a body cast. As Karen laid in a body cast, she told us that she would play baseball within a year….She never had any interest in baseball. At the time, I was only in second grade but I told my Mom there was no way this would happen. The next spring, less than a year later, she was playing in a co-ed baseball league. She probably did it just to prove everyone wrong.
Karen was an actress. All of our aunts, uncles, grandparents, everyone who has known Karen for most of her life knew that she would be a performer. There was never a more perfect career choice for a human being than Karen becoming an actress. She was born to be an actress and it was her passion in life. She was unshakably confident on stage. From grade school to our 30’s, every time I got the chance to see her in a play, there would always be a moment where I would be struck by the realization that she was disappearing into the role. She was that good.
One night, when we were in Jr. High, Mark, Karen, and I were sitting around watching TV and The Tonight Show came on. This was when Johnny Carson was still hosting. Karen was sitting in a big chair and she crossed her arms and said to Mark and me, “I’ll never do an interview with Johnny”… well, being the great brothers that we were, Mark and I started cracking up. Mark started slapping his knee and rolling on the floor. Karen didn’t get the joke. She didn’t even crack a smile. She was solid in her belief that she would one day become a famous Hollywood actress.
Like I said, she was very strong-willed.
I firmly believe that Karen had the talent to be a successful actress. With a few breaks, some different decisions, and perhaps a little luck, she could have been that actress in Titanic.
Like most actresses, Karen was a restless soul. There were a lot of contradictions in her life. She was sure about her acting abilities, but there were a lot of other things that she was not sure about. She was constantly looking for things in the world that made sense to her. She was curious about spirituality. As I mentioned last night, she searched for many religions and faiths. She explored Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and many other spiritual ideologies. She picked the parts of each one that made sense to her. She didn’t really care if people judged her for her ideas, she was searching for things that made sense TO HER.
Her restless spirit went beyond issues of faith. She looked for happiness in new friends, new cities, and new partners. Because of this restless spirit, she would often move away from her family. I don’t mean physically “move away”. She moved to New York, LA, Portland, Las Vegas, etc.… but many of us have moved away. Rather she moved away from her family emotionally and mentally because she was convinced people didn’t understand her.
It wasn’t until later in life that she truly understood the unconditional love of family.
When Karen’s daughter, Zaiden, was born, Karen changed. No longer was she chasing career goals or searching for meaning in her life. Her new passion was motherhood. From the moment Zaiden arrived, Karen realized the unconditional love of family. She had some unique ideas about parenting. Much like her spiritual quest, she read a lot of books about parenting and picked the parts of each philosophy that made sense to her. But regardless of her parenting ideas, her unconditional love for Zaiden was always obvious.
Over the last part of Karen’s life, as she struggled with her disease, she learned the valuable lesson that she NEEDED her family and her closest friends. She developed a new bond with each one of us, and while it was never easy, Karen made the effort to connect with everyone and show her gratitude and her love.
As she became sicker, it was no longer possible for her to take care of Zaiden as a parent, but rather, she needed Zaiden to take care of her. There are countless stories of Zaiden comforting her mother through pain and sadness. The six years of parenting went a long way, and the tables were turned, Zaiden was comforting her mother.
Finally, I want to tell the story of a gift Zaiden gave to Karen. As Karen dealt with the final moments of her life, she was ready to pass. She was begging for a peaceful transition. But Karen had a strong spirit and even though she was ready to go from a mental perspective, her strong WILL would not allow her to pass in a calm, easy way.
Flower Children - October 2009
In her last couple of days, she was semi-comatose, but she was singing. It was no surprise that she was a performer right to the end. She seemed to be trying to let go, but there was something in her that prevented her from going peacefully. My Mom and Dad kept telling her “we give you permission to go”… but her strong will seemed to be taking charge and she wasn’t ready.
A hug and a kiss
On the afternoon that Karen passed, it was peaceful in her room. We were talking softly to her. Then her cell phone rang, I jumped up and saw that it was Zaiden calling. I silenced the ring and I said to Karen, “that was Zaiden, she gives you permission to go”…. One minute later, Karen passed.
We all believe Zaiden knew what she was doing and she gave her mother an amazing gift.
Read with love by Dave Garcia at Karen’s memorial service on February 4, 2011
Arrangements for Karen
February 1, 2011 by admin
Chalk drawing by Zaiden
ARRANGEMENTS FOR KAREN
Hello family and friends,
On behalf of our family I want to send our thanks for your kind words, thoughts, prayers, and offers to help. Many people have been asking about arrangements for Karen’s memorial service and other pertinent information. This message is going out to a wide distribution list; however, please feel free to forward.
There is a rosary on Thursday, February 3 at 6:00 pm at the Olinger Woods Chapel, 1100 Washington Ave Golden, CO 80401. www.olingerwoodschapel.com
The memorial service is Friday, February 4 at 11:00 am at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 4200 Federal Blvd Denver, CO 80211. www.saintcatherine.us
Karen will be laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery. 12801 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033.
There is a reception (repast) after we leave the cemetery on Friday. The reception will begin at 2:00 pm at the Lakewood Elks Lodge, 1455 Newland Street, Denver CO 80214. www.lakewoodelks.com (Approximately Colfax and Pierce – across the street from Casa Bonita). Please join the family for food and conversation. Everyone is welcome.
In lieu of flowers, you may consider a contribution to an educational trust fund that has been set up for Zaiden (Karen’s daughter) or perhaps a donation to The Denver Hospice.
Please note: We are not requesting any contributions from anyone – your thoughts and prayers are more than enough; however, if anyone feels compelled to contribute, the information is below:
Educational Trust Fund:
Zaiden Victoria Von Schnier Irrevocable Trust
c/o Steve Rotello
UBS Financial Services
4643 South Ulster
Regency Plaza 1, Suite 1580
Denver, CO 80237
Denver Hospice:
(This organization was a great help to Karen and our family)
The Denver Hospice
501 South Cherry Street
Suite 700
Denver, CO 80246
Attn: Kathy Black
www.thedenverhospice.org
It is important to my parents that I reiterate:
We are not asking for contributions.
The information is meant as a reply to people’s questions about how they can help.
Thanks very much. For those who can join us this week, we look forward to seeing everyone. For those who cannot make it, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Please feel free to contact me at: garcia_davidj [at] hotmail.com if I can answer any additional questions.
All our love,
Dave Garcia (on behalf of our entire family)
Karen is Free
February 1, 2011 by admin
Karen on our wedding day
Karen passed away today – she is free.
Sweet Karen, thank you for years of love, sharing your dance, your song, your laugh, your kisses, your art, your energy and most of all for bringing us our amazing daughter.
You are the single greatest teacher I’ve ever had and the great love of my life.
You will be honored, cherished, and remembered always in our home – and Zaiden carries with her your very best of traits and qualities.
Zaiden will be fine – she will thrive! Until we meet again…Good night sweet Princess, and flights of angels sing thee to thy sleep.
- Rick Von Schnier
Self Reliance -at Last!!
November 16, 2009 by Karen
I long to be self-reliant; to stand on my own two feet again. 
It has been difficult relying on so many amazing people just to make ends meet. Disability hardly covers the rent, much less all the other expenses that come with this ride. Not to mention creating joyful memories with my daughter! I have longed for a way to bring in some income for myself. But there is just no way I can hold down a “regular” job with my ups and downs.
Not that I have ever been a “regular” kind of girl… I’ve been a actress, a part-time teacher, a waiter, a bartender. I’ve had every kind of odd job imaginable! Including some MLM…
For several months now I have been investigating home-based businesses that were NOT multi-level marketing. Something I could work on no matter how I am feeling and create some sort of income stream for me and my daughter.
At last I found one that I believe in and that works with my inconsistent energy! It is Melaleuca- a green wellness company with over 25 years of success. And the way the business works is just different than anything I’ve come across!
They offer chemical free cleaning products, bath and beauty and a small line of nutritional supplements that are unbelievable.The way it works is simple. You join like you would Costco or Sam’s club- but instead of paying $45 or more a year, you pay just $30 one time (actually for another week the cost to enroll is only a buck!) and you get all the products at wholesale prices! Their products are wonderful. Even the cleaning products are so “clean” they don’t need child caps or poison labels!
Anyway, I am not here to “sell”- I am just so excited to share my new discovery and my commitment to get back on my own two feet!
If you want to know more, you can visit the business website they gave me and I would be happy to tell you more about it. They have an informational webcast that you can view online that explains the details.
Just go to my new business website and submit a request for additional information and I will set you up to check out the Wellness overview. The site is www.WDT-ReachForTheJoy.com
Suze Orman was the keynote speaker at this company’s recent conference. She said “I check out every company thoroughly before I agree to speak for them. There are two kinds of companies that I will not speak for if my life depended on it: brokerage firms and multilevel marketing companies. I’m so glad that Melaleuca is neither one of those so I can be here with you today.”
If you are thinking about saving money, going green or even jumping on the bandwagon to make a bit of extra cash, let me know. I could use the practice sharing info about the company. And you never know, you may enjoy yourself!! 
Jumping for JOY!!!
Karen
www.WDT.ReachForTheJoy.com
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Cup Half Full
Cup Half Full is a beautiful, important book of women and men on the journey with breast cancer, photographed by the incredible Katy Tartakoff. I was lucky enough to participate in this important project. It's an amazing book and 75% of all proceeds go to support breast cancer charities.
