Karen A Cooper
Karen was born in upstate New York, escaping her father’s abuse and the bitter winters at 17. But no matter how far she ran, she took her past with her. At the hands of another abusive man, she conceived a child and placed her for adoption at his insistence. Another pregnancy followed soon after and he reluctantly married her after she tried to abort the baby. In an ironic twist, she discovers her son dead in his bed two months later. The birth of another daughter ties her to this man for another 14 years, years in which she travelled down all the wrong paths. Leaving him was a nightmare.
She eventually married an attorney in her office and believed her life would settle down, but she soon discovered her daughter was reliving everything she had been through. They moved their small family to Savannah, hoping to escape another world of abuse, but found their lives surrounded by the trials of a broken child.
In 1987, after enduring immeasurable pain, Karen came to the Lord. This was the beginning of her healing. Returning to Washington, she and her husband started counseling with a Christian therapist who helped them uncover the years of trauma that had scarred their relationship. They both joined the Board of Directors for Ephesians Life Ministries, a counseling center for people suffering from spousal and substance abuse. She also trained as a counselor at the Assist Crisis Pregnancy Center in Virginia, where she helped desperate women find alternatives to abortion.
Karen worked 40 years with the Department of the Army, ending up at the Pentagon, having an eyewitness seat for the 911 disaster. When she and her husband, Tom, retired to Savannah, they discovered The Living Vine, a home for pregnant, abused women. They joined their Board of Directors in 2004. She also ran their first thrift store for 3-1/2 years, until she left to go back to college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English at the age of 65, graduating summa cum laude.
Karen and Tom are members of Christ Church Anglican and they have two daughters and six grandchildren.
