Karen Cradler Davis

Karen Cradler Davis, aged 73, died on Friday, July 31st in her home in Portland, OR of Lewy Body dementia. She passed peacefully, surrounded by her three children. Karen lived in Hiouchi from 1993 to 2021 and was well-known in the Del Norte community.

Karen was born in 1952 and grew up in La Habra, CA. She met her future husband, Mark, while they were both students at La Habra High School. Karen earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, then her RN at San Jose State University. Karen and Mark married in 1973 and moved to North Carolina, where Mark studied medicine and Karen worked as a nurse for the Red Cross and local hospitals. In 1984, Karen and Mark moved their young family back to southern California, then in 1993, the Davises relocated once again to Del Norte County, settling in Hiouchi.

From 1998 to 2015, Karen worked as head nurse in Mark’s practice, North Coast Urology, overseeing the health of hundreds of local patients, prioritizing their emotional wellbeing as well as their physical, always taking time to listen, answer questions, and comfort. Karen was also an active volunteer at her children’s schools, helped form the local non-profit “Preserve Our Pool”, and was proud to serve as a founding member of the Del Norte Freshman Mentor Scholarship Program. Karen was an active member of local book and cooking clubs and sang in the North Coast Chorale, touring with the group twice in Europe, one trip featuring a concert inside the Vatican.

Karen led a busy social life with many friends, which she made easily with her natural interest in people, quick wit, and eagerness to help anyone who needed a hand or an ear. She was an excellent host, delighting friends and family with homemade meals and her legendary decadent desserts. Karen also enjoyed traveling the world, reading, and cooking. After her husband Mark died in 2020, Karen relocated to Portland, OR in 2021 to be nearer her sister and eldest daughter.

Karen is survived by her children Sarah, Jennifer, and Colin, her sister Chris, and granddaughters Sophia and Charlotte. She was a supportive wife, dedicated mother, adoring grandmother, and wonderful friend who will be dearly missed by many.

The family will hold a celebration of Karen’s life in the spring of 2027 in Portland, OR.