Karen Mary Martucci

Karon Mary (Hayward) Martucci, affectionately known as "Memaw," passed away peacefully on November 26, 2024, at the age of 82. She was born on July 14, 1942, in Burlington, Washington, to Fred Henry and Vernice Inez (Meyer) Hayward. The family of nine (seven children) moved several times during Karon's childhood in Washington State. Some of the places include Bellingham, Blaine, Cle Elum, Concrete, Custer, Hamilton, Mt. Vernon, Sedro-Woolley, Sekiu, and Yakima.

She met her husband Tony in Seattle, Washington, while he was in the Army stationed at Fort Lewis. They then moved to Ohio together and married on September 22nd, 1962.

Karon worked as a kitchen manager at Davis Elementary School in Austintown, Ohio for many years until her retirement. She truly loved cooking for the young children, and she was known for her macaroni and cheese and homemade pizza.

She was known for her huge heart, funny personality and amazing creativity, all while living life to the fullest every day. She enjoyed traveling with family and friends. She traveled to Iceland, Aruba, The Bahamas, Hawaii, and many other states. She enjoyed doing crafts and painting beautiful pictures that she shared with all. She especially loved playing bingo and line dancing with her friends. She baked cookies for family and friends and volunteered her time in the kitchen at the Serbian bingo hall. In her younger years, she loved being a chaperone to her daughter's Girl Scout troop on all their adventures.

Karon leaves behind her devoted husband, Anthony Martucci, whom she shared an extraordinary 62 years of marriage together, her beloved daughter, Toni (Martucci) Knight, son-in-law Michael Knight, and her grandson, Blake Dunnam, who was her pride and joy and that she loved with all her heart. She took great pride in everything her grandson did and loved being a memaw. She also leaves behind her 2 cats, who brought a lot of joy to her life. In addition, she leaves behind her in-laws Pat (Marge) Martucci, nieces and nephews, godchildren, along with many friends and family who will miss her deeply.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her twin brother Kenneth Hayward, oldest sister Vivian Elaine Hayward Smallwood, sister Beverly Tiejant, brothers Gerald "Jerry" Hayward, Richard Hayward, and her youngest brother, Gary Hayward. A half-sister Florence (Chuck) McLean, her niece Carline and her nephew Douglas Eugene. Also, her brother in-law Eddie Eugene Smallwood, in-laws Steve (Julia) Martucci and Dennis (Marie) McBride.

A celebration of life will be held on December 14th, 2024, from 1pm-4pm at Old Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church Hall to honor Karon's Life. Please come and celebrate in your everyday attire or Hawaiian wear.

"Rest in peace, Memaw. You are deeply loved and will forever be missed"