Ken and Karen McFarland

Ken and Karen McFarland were the type of parents who were always there for their three daughters Lynne (Archdeacon), Colleen (Schuster) and Kathleen (Pendergest). They were active and engaged in their lives and active and engaged in the community. Both Ken and Karen were employed and spent their non-working hours devoted to family life. Ken coached and refereed the girls’ games. Karen supported the family in all ways. And both parents were active members of Sacred Heart.  

The McFarland daughters recount funny family stories, anecdotes and lessons they learned along the way from their remarkable parents. They talk of how they were always there – both equally involved in their lives. When the girls met their spouses, they became welcome members of the family and were dubbed “The boys”. Once grandchildren came along, the focus of Ken and Karen’s time and affection was for them. They were completely dedicated to their grandchildren, leaving them with memories and wonderful stories.  

This is a family that loved and laughed and gave back to the community and they did so as a strong family unit. As the McFarland girls became the matriarchs of their own families, Ken and Karen continued to provide constant support. You can still feel the enormity of the loss that Lynne, Colleen and Kathleen feel from losing their parents, first Karen in 2014 and then Ken in 2016. In the true McFarland way, each of their spouses came together to reate a scholarship in the McFarlands’ name as a surprise to their wives.

Ken and Karen McFarland left a legacy of giving in their family, so much so that even their sons in law knew that the best way to honor them was through helping others. To the surprise and delight of the three McFarland daughters, Lynne, Colleen and Kathleen, the Ken and Karen McFarland Memorial Scholarship was established in 2019 by husbands Mike, Andy and Brian respectively.

The Ken and Karen McFarland Memorial Scholarship came as a complete surprise to Lynne, Colleen and Kathleen but perhaps it shouldn’t have. In establishing the fund, their spouses had honored Ken and Karen in the most perfect way – by giving back, by keeping their name alive and by highlighting their innate generosity and selflessness.