This was written of the inside cover of the program for the Tulsa Trek Expo this year by R.A. Jones, master of ceremony. I bawled when I read it. God I miss my babe.



IN MEMORIAM: KAREN LAFFERTY

I was well aware of Karen long before I every actually met her officially.
From my customary place atop the stage at Trek Expo, I couldn?t help but notice her in the audience, no matter how large the crowd or how packed the auditorium.
In part, this was because she was always perched atop her motorized wheelchair, in the middle aisle. But much more than that, there was something about her face that always caught my eye, and that always prompted the same two thoughts to run through my mind:
What a pretty young woman.
And how sad she looks.
I have to admit, I rather pride myself on my ability to make people laugh. But despite my best efforts, I?m not sure I ever so much as saw her crack even a wistful smile as she looked up at the stage.
That all changed shortly after she and her husband Randy were introduced to me backstage a few years ago. I was asked if I had any objections to the two of them helping out during the Expo. Being naturally lazy, I of course had no objections at all.
Little did I know just how quickly they would both become indispensable. In fact, truth be told, it was always the two of them who did all the really hard work. All I had to do was act silly and talk a lot ? two things any good parakeet can be trained to do.
And it wasn?t long after they started working with me that Karen began to smile. And to joke. And to laugh.
From what Randy tells me, the probable reason for this delightful transformation was that Trek Expo was one of the highlights of Karen?s year, every year. And the more active she was able to become in it, the more she could contribute to making it come off smoothly and successfully, the happier she was.
She was a tireless worker on our behalf. She seemed to take special delight in the fact that she had found a way to turn her handicap into an asset when she made her rounds through the vendors room, seeking donations of items that could then be sold in our annual charity auction. After all, who?s gonna say ?no? to a poor little girl in a wheelchair, right?
That ?little girl? helped raise thousands of dollars that were used to benefit the Tulsa Boys Home, to fund college scholarships, and to assist elementary school kids.
But then, on Christmas Day of 2006, I received the phone call from Randy that I never wanted him to have to make. Muscular Dystrophy, the insidious illness which had deprived her of her mobility ? had taken her away from us.
One thing I came to know about Karen, though, was that it was only her body that was weak. Her mind was sharp, and her heart was strong and deep. I heard her laugh many times, but never once heard her complain. I have no doubt that I am better for having known her.
Trek Expo will go on, and it will always be a terrific and joyous affair. But it will never be quite the same again, because Karen won?t be there. I?ll never again see that face that eventually lost its sadness ?
- But never its beauty.


- R. A. JONES -