SENIOR SERVICES
Community Spotlight
Karen James
Karen has seen a lot in her 65 years. She has held several jobs, lived in many places and cared for many children. Karen’s house was always full of step children and grandchildren. She loved being a part of their lives. Through a series of life events, including her son’s stroke eight years ago, Karen took on a more formal caregiver role. She began caring for her eight grandchildren in 2012. For a while, she even cared for her stepson’s children all of whom have come of age, graduated and now have jobs. At one point, there were 12 children in the house. Now there are nine ranging in age 4-19. But let’s go back to the beginning. Karen’s parents had been married 10 years before Karen was born. They had moved from Gila River to California as part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) relocation program. It was there that Karen and her sister were born. When Karen was older, she itched for adventure and wanted to begin working, so like many young people back then, she claimed to be older so she could work. Another program took her to Pennsylvania, where she worked in a hospital and saw snow for the first time. She was 16. She bounced around a bit after that, even trying to return to California. When her father died in 1973, Karen returned to Arizona, where 8
SPRING 2022
her family would vacation every summer during her childhood. There she met her husband, a silk screen artist and they opened a silk screening business. Karen continued to operate the business until Covid, even teaching her grandchildren the trade.
