At age 58, Karen Lee (Hansen) McDonnell peacefully left her earthly life on December 10, 2009, in Federal Way, WA. She was born in Leavenworth, WA on June 17, 1951, to Walter and Myrna (Roberts) Hansen. Karen lived her early years in Tonasket with her parents and siblings and graduated from Tonasket High School. She attended Nurses Training at Sacred Heart School in Spokane and graduated from the Nursing Program at Wenatchee Valley College. She worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in several hospitals in Washington and Oregon and as a Home Health Care Provider for many terminally ill patients. Karen and Richard "Dick" McDonnell were married on September 21, 1985, in Coeur d'Alene, ID and lived near the Cedar River in Renton, WA, where Karen spent much of her spare time, enjoying her passion for fishing. In 1987, they moved to Eugene, OR and lived near the Willamette River and Fall Creek, where Karen spent many hours fishing. In 1995, they returned to Washington and settled in Auburn. Karen spent many hours caring for family members in-home when needed. She loved nature and spent countless hours in the tranquility of the ocean beaches of Oregon and Washington. Karen's unwavering love for animals was evident in her early years, which connected her throughout her life with dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles - many of them rescued. She loved to cook and spent many hours in the kitchen, creating her own recipes.

She is survived by her husband, Richard McDonnell; father, Walter (Kay) Hansen of Lacey; mother, Myrna Hansen and grandmother, Mildred Nelson, both of Wenatchee; son, Walter Bentley of Wenatchee; step-sons, Daniel McDonnell of Auburn and Scot (Corrie) McDonnell of Graham; grandchildren, Alexis Brown and Cassandra Bentley, both of Wenatchee, Kati, Ashley and Michael McDonnell, all of Graham; brothers, Walter (Joanne) Hansen of Yelm, Tim (Jane) Hansen, Kevin (Connie) Hansen and sister, Janet (Mike) Merz, all of Wenatchee.

A Memorial Service for Karen will be announced at a later date. Donations may be made in Karen's name to the American Cancer Society or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.