Karen McWhirter

Karen McWhirter, 69, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026 after a brief illness. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she grew up in Warwick and East Greenwich. She graduated from Lincoln School in Providence and went on to earn a B.A. in History from Connecticut College. Karen worked as a cost accountant in the Boston area before retiring early to focus on her writing. An avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, she was actively working on her own science fiction novel at the time of her death.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Ruth McWhirter, who lived in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Wallingford, Connecticut. Karen is survived by her two older brothers, Alan McWhirter and his wife Barbara, and David McWhirter and his partner Mary Ann O’Farrell. She also leaves behind her beloved nephews and their spouses—Jason (Alexandra, née Santillan), Gabriel (Skye Langs), Justin (Rachael Moser), and Joshua (Kate Fisher)—as well as her great-nephew Julian McWhirter and her cousin Marilyn Chambers.