Karen Sue (Smith) Crane

Karen Sue (Smith) Crane of Bellingham, passed away on February 10, 2026 at her home. She was 72 years old. Karen was born in Bellingham on September 13, 1953 and grew up in Ferndale. She was the daughter of Donald (Bill) Smith and Catherine (Jean) Wilson Smith. She is survived by brother John Smith (Cindy) and their children Alicia Roberts (Keith), Jessica Richins (Kevin), Zack Smith (Julie), Cody Smith (Christian), brother Jeff Smith (Laurie) and their children Shawn Buettner (Matt) and Jennifer Semenov (Danil) along with numerous great nieces and nephews. Karen maintained a special relationship with a dedicated group of high school (class of 1971 FHS) friends that were very important to her.

Growing up Karen loved to draw house plans as a hobby in high school, along with a passion for playing softball that carried over into her adult years. She was involved with the Rainbow Girls (Masonic) organization and served as a Worthy Advisor. After high school Karen graduated from business school and worked many years with Snapper, Shuler, Kenner Insurance in Lynden and Bellingham.

Karen was a fearless, curious traveler of the world and was a veteran of countless cruises on Princess Cruise Line. Many times she cruised the California coast to unwind from work. Her favorite trip was a safari to Africa.

For years Karen had a dog named Gunnar who was spoiled and loved. When Gunnar passed she was always on the lookout for a ‘dog fix’ while on her daily walks in the Barkley neighborhood.

Karen loved Hallmark movies, HGTV, the History Channel and documentaries on multiple topics. She enjoyed watching the Food Network but was very happy to make her meals from the offerings of the Barkley Haggen deli. She was always ready to share a worthy program to watch.

Every Friday morning (6:30am) Karen checked in with family members with an ‘earworm’ song title that had them humming that tune for the day even if they didn’t want to! She was extremely diverse in her selection of songs crossing multiple genres. “They (song titles) just popped into my mind,” was her reasoning for selecting the weekly earworm.

Karen thoroughly enjoyed family gatherings, especially the numerous picnics and holiday celebrations at the gravel bar on the family farm along the Nooksack River. She was well known in the family for Green Bean Casseroles and Three Bean Salads for potluck gatherings.