Karmen Elizabeth Harrison's Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Karmen Elizabeth Harrison. Karmen was born on August 29, 1945, in Oakland, California, and passed away unexpectedly on November 19, 2021, in Fremont, California. She is survived by her loving sons Justin (and wife Jimena) and Quentin (and wife Christine), her granddaughters Kendall and Ashley, her mother Santa Alvarez, her sister, Esperanza Macias, and many loving aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces.
The oldest of three daughters, Karmen was also the first grandchild born to the Rivera-Aguirre family. An attentive mother and wife, Karmen was happily married to Edward Harrison for 46 years until his passing in 2012. Karmen and Ed most enjoyed making a beautiful home and life for their sons. Throughout her life, Karmen nurtured her creative spirit by engaging in ceramics, scrapbooking, and year-end letters to family and friends. She was an independent thinker and a loveable mix of conventionality and idiosyncracy, all rolled into one. When she changed the spelling of her name from its original Carmen, she often referred to herself as “Karmen with a K” as a reminder to others. She was tender-hearted, protective of those she loved, and had a joyful sense of humor that made her giggle when she laughed.
Karmen will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
The family has honored Karmen’s choice to be cremated. A memorial mass will be held at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 21st at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 703 C Street, Union City, CA. In lieu of flowers, family and friends are invited to share your memories of Karmen and messages for her family on this site. Since this memorial is indoors, please ensure that attendees are fully vaccinated from COVID.
If you plan on joining us for lunch after the mass, please RSVP to Jimena at [email protected] or call her at 415- 622-6453.
Thank you,
The Harrison Family
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