A kind, selfless and determined Shap woman who touched the lives of hundreds has died at the age of 49.
Karen Leicester-Gee – known as Kaz – was a well-liked pillar of her community and was cherished beyond Eden through her work as a respected and successful mental health practitioner.
Born on July 26 1972, in St Helens, she was the youngest of Alma and Peter Leicester’s three children. The family was close and moved to Southport when she was seven.
While not a natural scholar and often found bunking off, she excelled at gymnastics, cross-country running and athletics – even being selected to carry the Olympic torch for the Los Angeles games through Southport in 1984.
At 14 she left school and worked in a series of jobs, eventually moving to London two years later. Ahead of her time, Kaz returned to Southport with a passion for mental health provision.
This led her back into education where she gained a diploma in mental health nursing from the University of Central Lancashire in 2000.
Without the same resources, support or recognition as the field has today, Kaz worked hard to de-stigmatise mental health problems and presided over outreach projects, in care homes and with disabled people.
While studying, she met her wife-to-be Debra “Deb” Gee. Starting as friends, their relationship developed and they moved in together with Deb’s daughter Leanne.
The family then moved to Shap in 2004 to run the Bull’s Head pub and second daughter Amelia came along four years later in 2008.
Life was not always easy for the pair and as a gay couple they endured several trials and tribulations in the early years. But, with dogged determination to win people over, Karen persevered and eventually became an integral cog in the Shap community.
This was in part due to the relentless fundraising efforts of Kaz and Deb and the great service they provided at one of the village’s hubs. Over the years, the pair garnered thousands of pounds for a range of charities through events, challenges and competitions.
During this time, Kaz continued to work as a mental health nurse, eventually leading a team which worked across South Cumbria.
She will be remembered for the many lives she helped to turn around with her hard work over the years.
Her professional skills stretched to her personal life, too, and she was a great listener, always supporting her loved ones. Daughter Leanne said Kaz just loved to help people and was always ready to do anything for someone without asking for something in return.
That said, she did not suffer fools gladly and was not someone to be taken advantage of.
In 2013, Kaz’s life changed when she was diagnosed with cancer. It eventually spread to her lymphatic system and she was classed as terminally ill in 2016.
Despite this, she never let the condition define her and carried on enjoying life, fundraising, and even running a half-marathon.
A fun-loving woman throughout the process, she lived far longer than doctors expected and enjoyed spending time with her family.
A well attended funeral service was held at Shap’s St Michael’s Church, with donations going to Breast Cancer Now. Contributions can still be made to F and W Green funeral directors in Keswick.
Kaz is survived by her loving wife Deb; children Leanne and Amelia; son-in-law Richard; grandson Lucas; her parents Alma and Peter; and siblings Alan and Catherine.
