Karen Harris – San Diego Union-Tribune

Karen Harris

OBITUARY

Karen Harris, longtime La Jolla resident and former staff member of the “La Jolla Light”, passed away on February 26, 2026, at the age of 82.

Born Karen Christine Arp on March 19, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, she was the daughter of Francys Raia Arp and Christian Peter Arp. She grew up in Eagle Rock, and the family moved to Escondido in the 1950s. As a young adult, she moved to Mission Beach, where she met her future husband, Philip Harris, in 1964. They married in 1965 and had a daughter, Krista.

Karen began her career as a technical illustrator for companies including General Dynamics and Control Data. In 1977, she joined the La Jolla Light in the graphics department but soon discovered her true strengths were in sales. She went on to run the classified sales department for many years and was later promoted to advertising sales manager.

After leaving the “La Jolla Light”, she continued her career in sales, including work with the San Diego edition of the “Los Angeles Times” and later with the pre-press software company DK&A. At a time when that was not always the expected path for women, she built a successful career while remaining equally committed to her family.

Karen was a vibrant conversationalist — elegant, polished, charming and genuinely interested in people. She loved clothes, style and beauty, and did some modeling in the mid-1960s. She lived unapologetically on her own terms. She disliked cooking and never pretended otherwise, yet she loved good food and enjoyed her husband’s and daughter’s home-cooked meals.

Throughout her life, Karen pursued a wide range of interests, including sewing, jewelry making, folded book art, succulent arrangements, belly dancing, Zumba and ballroom dancing with her husband. She was also an enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer who took great pleasure in painting and redecorating their Bird Rock home of 46 years.

Gardening was one of Karen’s great passions. Inspired by the Getty’s Central Garden, she sought out unusual plants and designed a contemporary, layered landscape in which rock, wood, water and foliage were balanced with an artist’s eye.

In 2021, she and her husband moved to Santa Barbara to be closer to their daughter.

Karen is survived by her husband of over 60 years, Philip Harris, and her daughter, Krista Harris. She will be deeply missed by her family and remembered by many friends and former colleagues.