Obituary: Karen Taft ‘Taffy’ Wells
- Obituary
- 23 hours ago
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Karen Taft “Taffy” Wells passed away peacefully at age 74 on Dec. 5, 2025, at her home in Portland, Oregon, after a two-year cancer journey. Taffy leaves behind an expansive network of friends, family and Corgis.
Born to Herbert and Frances Taft Wells in Providence, Rhode Island, Taffy was preceded in death by her parents, older siblings John “Jody” Wells and Barbara “Bobby” Wells Johnson, nephew Jack Wells, and her Aunt Ibby. She is survived by nieces Willow Burgess-Johnson (April, Callie, and Blue) and Cedar Johnson (Ben, Robyn, and Naomi), nephew Hazard Wells, and many cousins.
Taffy held a special place in her heart for Lincoln School and her friends in Rhode Island, where she was offered love and support after her mother died when she was just 14 years old. She attended Marjorie Webster Junior College in Washington, D.C. and finished her degree in Physical Education at Baldwin Wallace College. She went on to teach PE in Virginia.
An adventurer at heart, Taffy moved to Juneau, Alaska, in 1978, where she stood out for her skill on the softball field and forged many lifelong relationships. She would remain in Juneau for almost 40 years and enjoy a long career with the State of Alaska, working her way up to Licensing Project Leader at the Commercial Fisheries Commission before retiring in 2007. In 2016, she followed several Juneau friends who had moved to Portland. There she thrived in retirement, playing golf and bringing together a wide network of her new North Portland neighbors for nightly sunset gatherings, earning the title “Empress of the Neighborhood.”
In 1988, driven by her desire to help others, Taffy pursued a counseling master’s at the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS). After graduating, she began offering private counseling and continued that work over the following three decades. She worked to deepen her empathy for herself and others through annual Diamond Heart retreats.
Everyone who met Taffy was instantly charmed by her authentic joy and booming laugh. She found great pleasure in life’s smallest details and shared her delight with those around her. Her love for the stubborn and loyal Corgi led her to parent three, Madeline, Luna, and Molly, and stepparent RadarLove.
Her niece Cedar Johnson and longtime friend Laura Minne had the honor of caring for Taffy at the end of her life, guided by care coordinator Janet Lumiansky and supported by numerous compassionate professionals and a galaxy of devoted relatives and friends. The fearlessness and calm with which Taffy navigated her illness testify to her quest to deeply know herself and her place in the universe. In her final hours, she radiated a brilliant light absorbed over a lifetime of loving passionately and being passionately loved. She now reunites with her matrilineal line of laughing women.
All are invited to join in celebrating Taffy’s life — in Portland on Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. at 1675 NE Jarrett St.; and in Juneau on May 30 at 2 p.m. at the Raven Shelter, Auke Bay Recreation Area.
