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Karen M. Rodon

By Joshua Smith

On June 11, 2022 Karen M. Rodon rejoined Frank, her beloved husband of 45 years, who died in 2012.

Karen was born on July 17, 1945, in Batavia, NY to the late Frances and Daniel Canty.

She graduated from Batavia High School in 1963 and then attended the University of Buffalo. In 1967, she married Frank, her high school sweetheart and they moved to Hawaii where they lived for five years. In Hawaii, she worked for the U.S. Navy and continued her education at the University of Hawaii. Upon her return to Batavia, she began a 36-year career with the Veterans Administration, from which she retired as the Human Resource Manager for the Batavia and Buffalo VA Medical Centers. Following Karen’s retirement in 2004, she and Frank sailed their boat to their new home in Fort Myers, Florida. Karen was the volunteer editor of their community newspaper, volunteered for the Veterans Foundation and delivered Meals on Wheels of Lee County.

She is survived by her brother, James Canty; her sister, Diane Gerould; sister-in-law, Carol (Merle) Banek and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Her brother, Gerald “Red” Canty predeceased her in 2001.

Karen and Frank’s ashes will be interred at St. Joseph’s Mausoleum in Batavia, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Karen’s name to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21747-5014 or ECHO, Inc., 17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, FL 33917. Local arrangements were entrusted to the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 403 East Main Street, Batavia.

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