Karen Lichtenberg

Karen Lichtenberg, age 68, of Little Falls, left this life unexpectedly on Thursday, September 3, 2020. Her family was lovingly by her side at the time of her passing.

One of James and Loretta (Alfano) Caravetta’s three children, Karen was born in Newark and moved to Little Falls when she was just three years old. With the exception of a short time living in Belleville, when she was first married, Karen lived the rest of her life in Little Falls. In fact, having purchased her parent’s home when they decided to move to South Jersey, she lived almost her entire life in the same house that she was raised in.

Karen was a graduate of Passaic Valley High School, Class of 1970, where she loved being a baton twirler in the school’s marching band. She furthered her studies at William Paterson College earning a bachelor’s degree in the school’s speech therapy program.

It was at Calvary Temple in Wayne that Karen met the love of her life – Dennis Lichtenberg. Active in the church, she started a singles ministry and the kickoff event was a barbeque in the church’s parking lot. She met Dennis at the barbeque and they turned out to be as compatible as a hot dog and a bun. They fell in love, which ultimately led to their marriage. On Saturday, January 8, 1983, they exchanged their wedding promises to each other before God, family and friends at the Calvary Temple in Wayne with Reverend Fogel officiating the ceremony. The honeymoon destination was St. Thomas. They rented a car and were given a street map to help them find their way around the island. While in theory, this should have worked perfectly, the map proved to be almost useless as none of the actual streets had street signs. Karen and Dennis tried to do their best to find their way but it just seemed that all roads ended up in the weeds and swamp grass.

Initially living in an apartment of a two-family house in Belleville, Karen and Dennis were soon blessed with their son Jason. From there they moved to Little Falls where they welcomed baby Ryan, their second son.

Karen dedicated herself to lovingly raising Jason and Ryan. When they were old enough to be in school all day, she entered the workforce, ready to use all the speech therapy knowledge she had learned in college. Her first employment was as a state supplied therapist working at St Philip’s private school in Clifton. From there she moved on to the Lincoln Park public schools where she enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the elementary and middle school. She loved her work and as a result it was so easy for her to bring great compassionate energy to her students. Karen was an awesome speech therapist who strongly advocated for the kids and she was always encouraging to the parents in helping them to reinforce the concepts that their children were learning. Bringing candy and all kinds of things to play with, Karen always tried to make therapy fun. Her husband Dennis even built her a puppet stage to be used as an aid in teaching and it is still being used by the school today. Karen continued to bless children over a long career until retiring in 2018.

You could say that Karen had the travel bug. She especially loved Europe and thus, she took a trip to Italy with Dennis and her sister Mary Ann and husband Tom. She went to London with her girlfriend Marian and she and Dennis took a romantic trip to Scotland. Karen was especially fascinated with the castles in London and Scotland and she thoroughly enjoyed all the romance of floating down the river on a gondola in Venice, while being serenated by an Italian singer and mandolin player. While not quite the same as being there, she would often play the video of that event to recall what a special time it was.

After retirement, Karen had no intentions of morphing into a couch potato. The first thing she did was purchase a pair of crocheting needles. She crocheted many-a baby hat and she donated them to St. Joseph’s hospital in Paterson. She joined the Women’s Club of Little Falls and put her looming skills to work to make more hats and scarves to sell in fundraisers so that the club could raise money to support worthy causes in Little Falls. She also joined the town’s Friends of the Library Club where she served as secretary and membership coordinator to raise funds to help the library be a wonderful place to learn and grow in knowledge.

When she wasn’t engaged in the activity of blessing others, Karen did enjoy time spent with Dennis watching favorite shows on television. She loved the British mysteries on PBS’s Channel 13, especially Downton Abbey. She enjoyed House Hunters and was thrilled when Dennis discovered the British version of House Hunters. While watching it, she would sometimes recall seeing places on the show that she had been to when they went to England. Of course, while settled on the couch, Ashley, – her dear Yorkshire Terrier and later, – Toby her Maltese/Yorkshire , would gladly snuggle up by her side. Karen also had a love for visiting tea houses. She frequently got together with three of her girlfriends from kindergarten for a day at Sally Lunn’s Tea Room in Chester.

Karen had an incredibly generous heart. When she sensed a need, she responded with love and compassion. For example, when her sons Jason and Ryan were little boys, she would often take them to the library. She got to know the librarian staff quite well and, when she learned that one of the librarians was not going to have enough money to purchase Christmas presents for her family, Karen stepped up to the plate. She loved to donate to Goodwill, raise money for back-to-school children’s backpack fund raisers and purchase Christmas gifts for kids by pulling their name off the Christmas tree at her church.

Above all, Karen’s home was where her heart was. She was a devoted wife, mother, and new grandmother. Her sons Jason and Ryan called her every day and, if she was on the phone with a friend when they called, she never hesitated to say, “I gotta go! My son is calling me on the other line!” She was so excited about the arrival of her new grandson James Thomas last year. She loved Facetiming him and getting the daily video tapes which she would play over and over again.
Karen touched the lives of many in a positive way. While her family rests in the assurance that she is with her Lord and Savior, she will be dearly missed.

Karen is survived by her beloved husband Dennis; two sons: Jason and wife Danielle Lichtenberg of Butler, and Ryan Lichtenberg of Kinnelon; her grandson James Thomas Lichtenberg; two siblings: Anthony and wife Karen Caravetta of Cape Coral, FL, and Mary Ann and husband Thomas Warden of Pequannock; her sister-in-law: Donna Poirier of Belleville; and four nephews: Steven and wife Jennifer Warden of Pequannock, Michael Warden of Pompton Plains, Keith and wife Melanie Poirier of Phillipsburg, NJ, and Anthony and wife Danielle Caravetta of Armonk, NY.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Karen’s name are asked to consider donations made to honor her grandson James. All donations will be going to a special needs trust to ensure James’s future is as bright as Grandma wanted it to be. To donate, CLICK HERE.