Karen Longhart, friend, neighbor, mathematics educator extraordinaire, died on 1 June after a long, courageous battle with cancer. She was only 49, far too young to reach the end of life. Her husband, Fred, their friendly dog, Monty, and a large extended family survive her.
Karen lived next door to the south, where she and Fred maintained a home, yard, and garden with the precision, elegance, and beauty of the equations they taught. Last summer, their spectacular giant sunflowers (think Fibonacci) brightened the neighborhood almost as intensely as their smiles.
You could not find better neighbors. Earlier this spring, when I needed an unexpected medical procedure, Karen graciously arranged for Fred to drive me to and from the surgery, their teaching schedule that day notwithstanding. Last summer, even during difficult times for Karen, both Fred and Karen paid many visits to my mother while she was recovering from major surgery.
Monty exhibited the Longhart friendliness, bounding to meet me as soon he spotted me. You knew as soon as you met Monty that he belonged to good people.
Monty is the black blob between Fred and the fence in the photograph to the right that I made on a balmy evening on 18 April. He and Fred had walked over to the fence to see my mother, Sally Conner (wearing the hat; to her right, Wendy, southern next door neighbor to the Longharts), who was making a rare visit to our backyard. And that’s Karen on the left, with her big as the sky smile. She had run out of the house, barefoot, just to say hello to my mother. That’s how I remember Karen, a woman full of enthusiasm for life who in a better world would have lived another 49 years.
Outside Karen’s bedroom window, her cherry tree is in full bloom, Mother Nature’s tribute to both her passing and her life.