Karen was born in Phoxlind on April 20th, 1974 as Karen Angela Summers to Ruth and John Summers. Ruth was a secretary for a law firm and her father was a multi-generational firefighter. Karen had two siblings, one older brother named Jason, and a younger sister named April. Young Karen was a girl scout and preferred to do the hiking, camping, and more “tomboy” activities that girl scouting included - electing to participate minimally in the more domestic activities. When her brother joined the exploring group in addition to his boy scouting, Karen wanted to join him, but her parents saw it as “unsuitable” for her and the matter was dropped. She did well in school, not exceptional, and was adept in technology as it came about. At 18, she enlisted in the Air Force. She graduated from high school in the summer of 1992 and was sent to basic training at Lackland AFB. She struggled to adjust to the new routine of basic training and was more out of shape than she'd realized. Her instructors pushed her relentlessly, and she graduated in September of 1992. She then went on to Goodfellow AFB to receive her technical training in firefighting. Through many duty assignments and posts, she met her now-husband, Evan. Karen, though they were married, elected to keep her name. At the end of her 8 years of service, she left the air force and began looking for a place to settle down. Her last posting left her in New York, and she decided to move north, to Saratoga. Karen and Evan found a small house in Essex. Evan went to work as a systems analyst for a local database consulting firm based on his education and role in the Air Force, and Karen went back to firefighting. She found a position with Shiloh County fire and now works as a captain, after 9 years with them. She has one daughter, Angela Summers-Moore, born in 2011.
