Obituary of Karen E. Godzyk

Karen Elizabeth [Riley] Godzyk died after suffering complications of liver failure surrounded by her husband and three children on December 18, 2018, in Tucson, AZ at the age of 63.

She was born Karen Elizabeth Riley in Manchester, NH, to Paul Jordan Riley and Frances [Hartnett] Riley. She grew up in Manchester, attending Blessed Sacrament School, McDonald School, Hillside Junior High, and graduating from Manchester High School Central in 1973. She was active in drama, chorus and marching bands throughout her early years.

Karen attended Texas A&M University and graduated from Suffolk University with a B.A. in Business Administration, cum laude, in 1977. She went on to earn a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Suffolk in 1980. In 2009, she earned her second doctorate in Leadership and Management from the University of Phoenix.

In 1981, Karen was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy JAG Corps, serving in Pensacola, Florida. She subsequently embarked on a legal career that spanned several decades: Prosecutor for the Town of Salem, NH, serving in private practice, and working in the office of the Clerk of Court in both Hillsborough and Rockingham counties in NH. She was among the first to introduce Alternative Dispute Resolution to a New Hampshire county courthouse, dramatically improving the efficiency of the court system and reducing wait times.  In 1997, she moved to the Juvenile Court system of Pima County, Arizona, working with the CASA program and adoptions. More recently, she served as administrator for grants and contracts at the Association for Universities for Research in Astronomy [AURA], serving the Gemini Observatory in Hilo, Hawaii.

Karen is survived by her husband of 37 years, Charles [Chuck] Godzyk of Tucson, Arizona; her children Mark Godzyk [Peccina Pontremoli] of Melbourne, FL; Christopher Godzyk [Sarah] of Las Vegas, NV; and Elizabeth Neher [Michael], of Phoenix, AZ; her grandchildren Abigail and Jack Neher; and sister Christine Riley [Michael Koza] of Asheville, NC.

For more than a decade, Karen also taught courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels [in person and online] at several universities in criminal justice, business administration, business writing, and her favorite topic and the subject of her doctoral dissertation, critical thinking. Students from around the country who would never meet her benefitted from her considerable intellect and acumen; those students who also “benefitted” from her relentless pursuit of clear and precise writing may not have always appreciated it, but they likely also never forgot it.

A lifelong music lover, Karen played the piano in her earlier years, later becoming involved in square dancing and subsequently singing in the barbershop tradition with the Sweet Adelines. She was never without a song, or frankly, a mangled lyric. She had a quick wit, a smart mouth, and an enormous heart. She will be sorely missed.

Visitation will be held at Bring’s Broadway Chapel, 6910 East Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ on Wednesday, December 26, 2018, from 9:00 to 11:00 am. A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis de Sales, 1375 South Camino Seco, Tucon, AZ,  at 12 noon. A reception will be held in the church immediately following the mass. Refreshments will be served. Friends are encouraged to bring a story to share.

A burial service will take place at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Marana on Thursday, December 27, 2018, at 9:00 am.

Memorial contributions may be given to Wounded Warrior Project by going to their website listed below.

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=10201&ovr_acv_id=4348&campaignSource=ONLINE&source=BS18012&ds_rl=1264110&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgf3gBRDtARIsABgdL3kJnm0f2BMIcNXT7kHhhV0G6wX9JBjBWt5k0yM6CTpW3TKDrKagZucaArgAEALw_wcB