Obituary: Karen Diamond z”l

Karen Sorin Diamond (1942-2025)

​​​​​​​Karen Sorin Diamond, who lived a life of extraordinary kindness and love, passed away on June 25, 2025. She was born December 28th, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Hollywood, Florida. She graduated from South Broward High School in 1960 and went on to study interior design at the University of Florida, graduating with a Bachelor of Design in 1964. From there she landed a dream job as a designer at H. Chambers Company, a renowned architectural and interior design firm based in Baltimore, Maryland.

While living and working in Baltimore, Karen met the love of her life, Louis, who was then a graduate student at the University of Maryland. They married on August 20th, 1967, and one year later moved to Lexington where Lou took a position at the University of Kentucky. Rather than ending Karen’s design career, the move inspired her to create what would become a successful interior design business of her own, Diamond Designs, through which she brought beauty and comfort into the homes of her many clients. She also gave birth to and raised sons Andrew (born 1970) and Ethan (born 1971), tackling her dual careers as designer and mother with tireless grace.

In 1986, Karen and Lou moved the family to Boulder, where Lou took a job at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, and where Karen rebuilt Diamond Designs from scratch into a thriving practice. One of her proudest accomplishments as a designer came in 1993, when she and Lou moved into the beautiful home they built on Mapleton Hill. Karen’s impeccable style, joyful spirit, and love of cooking and entertaining made the house a warm and inviting place to all. There, Karen & Lou hosted countless parties, fundraising events, club meetings, and guests from around the world including many participants in CU’s Conference on World Affairs, which Karen supported for more than two decades. 

Throughout her life, Karen was known for her generous volunteer work, strong leadership, and goodwill. She was a member of Hadassah for more than 50 years, including more than 30 years as a chapter board member and a term as chapter president. She was also a longtime member and past president of the University Women’s Club in Boulder, and received that organization’s prestigious Margaret Willard Award in 2019 in recognition of her service. She volunteered regularly at Bridge House Community Table, Historic Boulder, and at Bonai Shalom synagogue where she helped with fundraising, refurbishing the facilities, and delivering food and other essentials to elderly and immobile congregants.

Karen was also an avid reader and book club member; an outdoorswoman who enjoyed walking her historic neighborhood and hiking the hills above town; an animal lover who always arrived with treats for the pets of her family and friends; and a lifelong patron of the arts. Karen’s great affinity for music, fostered from a young age by her father, aunt, and uncle who were all professional musicians, led her to fill her home and her children’s lives with music, and to be active in the Colorado Music Festival, the Boulder Philharmonic, and the CU Boulder College of Music.

Karen will be remembered for her unwavering generosity, sweetness, laughter, selflessness and love. She was an incredible wife, mother and grandmother – always devoted to and immensely proud of her husband, children and grandchildren – but in fact she made everyone feel like they were part of her family, and she was always more concerned about other people than she was about herself. Her life inspires us to treat all our fellow humans with more kindness and understanding.

Karen is survived by her husband of 58 years, Dr. Louis Diamond; her sons Andrew and Ethan Diamond and their wives Elinor and Elizabeth; her grandsons Isadore, Herschel, Tycho, Zelig and Cosmo Diamond; her cousins Ira, Michael, Alan and Harold Shapiro, Ellen Kaplan, Sandra Friedland, Robert Sorin, and Kathy Walker; her niece Traci Lasher; her nephews Ray and Aaron Sorin and Monte Blumenfeld; her grandnephew Eli Lasher; and many adoring extended family and friends. She is predeceased by her parents Ted and Lillian (née Shapiro) Sorin; her brother Herman; and her twin sister Marilyn Sorin.

For those who would like to make a donation in Karen’s honor, we ask you to consider the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. CMF&CMA was very dear to Karen’s heart, and embodies her deep commitment to education, her boundless love of music and her community of Boulder, and her belief in the simple yet profound ways we can bring more joy and peace into the world. Donations may be  made online  or checks mailed to:
CMF&CMA
200 E. Baseline Rd.
Lafayette, CO 80026

The Diamond family is forever grateful for the support of the team at the UCHealth Burn Center, whose compassion and professionalism serve as a constant reminder of the remarkable goodness in people.