Framingham School Committee Member Karen Dempsey Dies

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Karen Foran Dempsey, the District 2 Framingham School Committee member who spent decades volunteering in city government and beyond, died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, her family said Friday.

Dempsey, 54, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a child and used a motorized scooter to get around, was a fierce advocate for people with disabilities. She helped start the Framingham Disability Commission in 2002, and personally fought for items like easier access to municipal buildings and better enforcement of handicapped parking rules.

On top of serving on the school and disability committees, Dempsey had previously served as a member of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority board, as a Town Meeting member, Framingham's open space committee and on the Framingham Public Library Building Committee.

"Last night we lost my sister Karen, it was sudden and unexpected and we are all heartbroken," wrote At-Large City Councilor Janet Leombruno in a Facebook post. "She leaves behind a world that loved her, one she spent her life making better. Her life was wasn’t the easiest, but you would never ever know it."

In recent years, Dempsey worked as a clinical instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine, and was also a mother of two teenage boys.

Dempsey's death came as a shock to many in the Framingham community. Local officials were, including Senate President Karen Spilka, members of the School Committee, City Councilors and others who knew her were offering their condolences Friday night.

"Karen was an advocate and leader," School Committee Chair Adam Freudberg said in a statement Friday. "A true professional who helped her community by making many positive changes in her years serving in appointed and elected roles. She really honed in on those who needed assistance such as special education families and the disability community. She gave them a voice and acted for them in everything she did. Her sudden loss hits real hard and is a tough reminder about how you can never take anyone’s presence for granted. She was a member of our School Committee family and will be missed a great deal. We are grieving alongside her husband Mark, twin sons, mom, siblings, family, and friends."