Karen Kazanjian -Silvia

Karen Kazanjian-Silvia, 70, of Princeton, Mass. died Sunday, July 5th, 2026 at UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus in Worcester after a five-day hospitalization.  Karen died of an extremely rare and aggressive form of adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine rectal cancer, for which there was no accepted treatment protocol.  She was diagnosed in October 2025 and was able to continue working until nine days before her death.  Due to Karen’s desire for privacy, most of her many friends were unaware of her illness until after her death.  Her family was with her when she died, to provide comfort and love.

Karen was born November 8th, 1955 in Fitchburg, Mass. and lived in Fitchburg, Leominster, and for the past thirty-seven years, in Princeton.  She worked as a medical social worker at several area hospitals and was working at the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center in Fitchburg at the time of her death.  Karen worked at the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center for thirty-four years and five months.

Karen will be remembered for her outgoing personality, her infectious and sometimes irreverent sense of humor, her kindness, compassion, and empathy, and for her devotion to her patients and advocacy in meeting their needs.  She also was respected and loved by her colleagues at the Cancer Center and will be dearly missed.

Karen is survived by Peter Silvia, her partner of forty-seven years and husband of thirty-nine years; their son Andrew Silvia and his wife Madelyn of Martha’s Vineyard; their daughter Maya Silvia and her partner Tyler of Leominster.  She is also survived by her brother Thomas Kazanjian and his wife Carol of Townsend, Mass.; her sister Sandra Kazanjian of Princeton, her sister Martha Brennan of Pittsfield, N.H., and her brother Richard Kazanjian and his wife Theresa of Fitchburg; many nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins.   

Karen and Peter met in April 1979 as social workers at Montachusett Home Care Corp. in Fitchburg and began a long friendship and loving relationship.  Following their marriage in May 1987, Karen and Peter left their jobs, bought a used motor home, and on September 14th, 1987, left on an “extended honeymoon” of thirteen months, towing their blue Toyota Corolla.  On their trip, they visited about thirty states and many National Parks and State Parks, and saw the most beautiful parts of the United States.  After their trip, they continued a life-long love of the natural world and enjoyed many years of hiking, kayaking, and snow-shoeing.  Their rationale for leaving their jobs in their thirties to travel was “we’re young and healthy and able to travel now, and if we get to do it again when we retire, that will be great too.”  

The highlight of the trip for Karen came in June 1988.  While visiting Yosemite National Park in California, they embarked on a twelve-hour eighteen-mile hike to the top of Half Dome, 8,800 feet above the valley floor.  Returning to the valley in semi-darkness, they stopped at the gift shop and Karen was thrilled to buy a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “I climbed Half Dome.”  The t-shirt remained one of Karen’s prized souvenirs of the trip.  When buying the t-shirt, she asked the salesperson if “just anyone” could buy a t-shirt and he responded in the affirmative.  Karen said she was concerned that people might be wearing a t-shirt who had never set foot on the Dome and she jokingly said that the t-shirts should only be available for purchase on the top of the Dome.  The salesperson stated that he saw her point, but he was not authorized to limit t-shirt sales only to the top of the Dome.  As Peter listened to this exchange, he smiled and quietly admired Karen’s life-long sense of fairness, honesty, and integrity.

Peter and Karen’s family want to thank the many doctors who worked tirelessly during her five-day hospitalization to somehow stem the rapid spread of the cancer.  Special thanks to Dr. Tasneem Ali, Karen’s beloved friend and colleague at the Cancer Center for her kindness, empathy, and compassion, especially during the last five days, and for being the “quarterback” of the amazing medical team… Thank you Tasneem!

Arrangements are being made by Curley-Marchand Funeral Home in Leominster; there are no services at this time.  A Celebration of Life will be held in the future, most likely in mid-September, Karen’s favorite time of year.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the cancer center at which Karen worked, with checks made out to the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center and mailed to 275 Nichols Road, Fitchburg, MA 01420.  Donations can also be made to the cancer center in which Karen received treatment; gifts in memory of Karen Kazanjian-Silvia may be made to UMass Memorial Health (UMMH) in support of the Cancer Center at http://ummhealth.org/giving or mailed to: UMass Memorial Health, Office of Philanthropy, Biotech One, 365 Plantation St., Worcester, MA 01605.  

Thank you for your support during this difficult time.

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