Karen Grace (Smith) Paget

Karen Grace Paget (Smith) of Ipswich MA died in the early morning on Friday July 31st, 2020 after an almost seven-year battle with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. She was 56.

Karen was born in Woburn MA to Judith A Smith and the late Richard T Smith Sr. She was the younger sister to Richard T Smith Jr and Stephen W Smith.

She grew up in Boxford and Topsfield MA and graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 1981. She then went on to study at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Gallaudet University, and Northern Essex Community College.

While working at the New England Home for the Deaf as a young woman, she began to learn American Sign Language (ASL). This marked the beginning of a lifelong career as an ASL interpreter, working with people who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Her skills and hard work granted her a Master-level National Interpreter Certification, the highest classification for an ASL interpreter. She had so much fun interpreting concerts and musicals for many years, and she loved her longterm job as a Video Interpreter at Sorenson VRS.

She was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer in early 2014. Her fight was long and painful but her immense strength and courage carried her through the most difficult hurdles. She “fought like a girl” until the very end.

She is predeceased by her father Richard T Smith Sr. She is survived by her children Viktoria G Paget and Theodore W Paget of Ipswich MA; her husband Colin W Paget of Ipswich MA; her mother Judith A Smith of Topsfield MA; her brother Richard T Smith Jr of Groveland MA and his sons Andrew and Lucas; her brother Stephen W Smith of Topsfield MA and his children Nicole, Christine, Genevieve (aka Junie), and Greyson; and countless friends who were like family.

Karen touched so many lives with her uplifting optimism and unwavering spirit. She was funny, brilliant, outgoing, and deeply kind. She danced everywhere to a rockin’ life soundtrack filled with U2, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and Vampire Weekend. And she loved dark chocolates and red wine.

A service and celebration of life will be held at a later date when it becomes safe for all of her many loved ones to talk, cry, laugh, dance, and hug each other as she would have wanted.  Assisting the Paget family is the Morris Funeral Home  of Ipswich.  To send a letter of condolence to the family please go to:  MorrisFH.com .

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