Karen Marie Fabian
Born March 6, 1964, Karen grew up in Tisch Mills, Wisconsin. She grew up surrounded by a small farm of animals: chickens, cats, rabbits, and two brothers. She and her two sisters
were inseparable until her death. Their thoughts are often still with her.
Her father, Joseph Fabian, died when she was twelve years old.
She never talked much about how much that may have hurt, and now I can
only wonder how she got through losing her parent at an age old enough to
understand but not old enough to be independent.
Karen was the one to set up her mother, Carol, with an older man named
Ron Mitchell at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, where they both worked.
Carol married him, and today they live in a nursing home in Two Rivers.
My sister and father visit often.
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Around 1981, Karen met Oscar J. Cisneros. The story has been told several different ways: at a parade, in a parking lot, at the zoo, etc. However, what's most important is that on January 4, 1996, they gave birth to their first daughter: Gabriella Maria Cisneros.
A year and a half later, there were two. Miranda Maria Cisneros was born June 26, 1997.
Karen became Mama.
Mama pushed us to try our hardest, embrace our creativity, expand our travels, and always strive to reach our dreams. She was certain we would succeed. And we always knew she would be there to see it.
Mama was never stingy with her money when it came to her girls. She helped us all the way through college, even when that meant spending extra to help me afford dorm rooms and other expenses when I moved to Milwaukee for film school. Not to mention that full semester I spent studying abroad in Costa Rica. Miranda stayed at home to attend UW-Green Bay to pursue a degree in elementary education.
College was difficult but it offered a refreshingly new way to live. Sometimes I still feel guilty for not missing my family more.
In May 2018, my mother witnessed the greatest achievements thus far in both her daughters' lives: college graduation. She was probably more excited than we were, but we were so proud to make her so proud.
That summer, she and my father went on a multiple week-long roadtrip through Colorado down to New Mexico and into Mexico, eventually hoping to return through Louisiana.
She texted my sister and I nearly every day, sharing the red rock formations, cloud shrouded mountains, stray kittens, ghost towns, and margaritas with us through the photos she took. She occasionally complained about my father's antics, but what else would you expect from 30+ years of partnership and spending over 2 weeks in a car?
One day, my boyfriend, Caleb, and I drove up to Karen's youngest brother's house for a small lunch/dinner party. My sister met us there later in the evening, and we all talked about my parent's roadtrip, wondering when they would finally return. "Do you think your dad will just want to stay down there in Mexico, Gabbi?" asked my aunt. "Nah."
That same night, we were texting our mother a review of the day, and she was happy we were having fun (as always). I sat on the floor at my boyfriend's house, poking fun at my sister for picking up McDonald's drivethrough after she left our aunt and uncle's. My sister defended herself, probably texting from her new apartment in Green Bay, saying she got a Pokemon kid's meal toy.
It was late, so I told her I was going to sleep. She was in Guadalajara, Mexico which had the same time zone, so she was also going to sleep soon.
"Love you to the moon......and back." she texted.
Two days later, my father called.
She died the morning of August 20, 2018.
In our memories and in our lives is where she lives on.
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