Karen Ann Ayars was my wife for 37 years and I loved her dearly. We met at Lincoln Elementary School in Prescott and I picked her as my wife-to-be when we were freshmen in high school and married her in 1963 after a 6-year courtship. She gave birth to three wonderful children; Marci in 1964, Jim in 1967 and Alan in 1973. She was an outstanding mother, wife and friend throughout her life and I will miss her for the rest of my life Our children are now all grown and have beautiful families of their own. This website will contain pictures of Karen and our family as it grew and writings from some that remembered her fondly. At her death from a Primary Brain Tumor, Karen and I had 6 grandchildren. Jim's wife, Doreen will give birth to our 7th in July of 2001. Karen practiced as a Registered Nurse from 1967 to 1993. She was a volunteer in Girls Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and was always available to support our children with their school and social activities. She also was always supportive of my career that moved us from Gila Bend through Phoenix, Camp Verde, Painted Desert and back to Phoenix in a span of 30 years. She loved her cabin in Lake Montezuma and always wanted to retire there. We were able to retire in 1994 and during the last 6 years of her life we traveled from Hawaii to Maine and from Alaska to Florida but she always wanted to come home to the cabin so she could be near her children and grandchildren. She spent a great deal of time during her final years as a volunteer with the After School Arts Program at Lake Montezuma where she loved to work with the young people of the community and she was also a Red Cross volunteer and a committed member of the Montezuma-Rimrock Women's Civic Club. Karen did not wish to have a service after her death, however I felt she would be happy with this website to commemorate her life and allow her friends to remember her as the wonderful person that she was.

Karen, I will love you forever. Rick