Karen Wiggins

Karen was born in Seattle and attended schools there until 7th grade.  Her father was a contractor and mom a homemaker.  She has 3 siblings, but lost her sister in 2005.   In 7th grade her family moved to Lummi Island where they ran a resort.  This was great fun for the kids but unfortunately was not profitable and the family moved to Anacortes when she was in ninth grade.

She met Jack, her husband to be, in her senior year in high school.  They married in 1955, had 3 boys and were married for 45 years before he passed away of cancer in Sept 2000.  Karen grew up in a family that was in the construction business and that became Jack's and Karen's business too; concentrating on commercial construction.    She has been in the general contracting business for all her life and has passed the passion on to her 3 sons, one who still works for her and the other two own their own construction businesses.  Although, with Jack's death in 2000, Karen closed the construction business; prior to his illness and subsequent death they had purchased an old office building in downtown Edmonds.  They completely re-modeled the building before he passed away.  Currently Karen rents this to the largest tenant in downtown Edmonds.

.

Karen is the legal guardian for her younger brother, Jimmy, who has Cerebral Palsy.  She lovingly spends time making sure Jimmy gets the care he needs. She entertains frequently at the beach home in Anacortes which she and Jack purchased in 1967 and spend much time there with her friends and family she has 4 grandchildren,   2 who live in Kingston and 2 in Kenmore.  She also has one great granddaughter.

Karen has been a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Edmonds and was the Waterfront Festival Chair for 4 years.