Karen Janice Frith

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, devoted friend and U.S. Navy veteran, Karen Janice Frith.  In her 59^th year, Karen succumbed to cancer after a valiant 18-month battle.

Born in Manchester, Jamaica to the late Miriam Frith, Karen was the fifth born and 2^nd daughter of six children. She was one of the fastest up and coming sprinters out of Manchester Maidstone Jamaica. At the young age of 9 she immigrated to America, where she settled in with her parents and siblings in Bronx, New York. Karen continued her sprinting career after immigrating, but traded in her sprinting shoes to study fashion and design during high school. After leaving Diana Sands Jr High, she attended Fashion and Design and Taft High in Manhattan and Bronx, NY. Prior to graduating from Taft, she met and fell in love with Phillip Salmon. Always caring, warm and responsible beyond her years, Karen was a devoted daughter, mother and friend who took pride in being a source to anyone who needed a place to stay, a hot meal or providing encouragement and a sense of community for those who knew her. Karen never met a stranger.

In 1982 Karen welcomed her first son, Tristan, into the world. Soon after, she joined the U.S. Navy and took advantage of the opportunity to travel the world. During her Naval career she experienced many milestones which included being one of the first 100 women assigned to the destroyer tender USS Yellowstone AD-41.  Karen rose to the rank of First-Class Petty Officer and receiving numerous written awards and recognition throughout her career. One in particular was for establishing an annual event for youth (DEFY) that focused on how to lead a positive, healthy and drug-free life style. Karen was known as a conscientious, diligent and faithful colleague. While assigned in Christchurch, New Zealand Karen would give birth to Nathan, her youngest son, in 1995.

Karen retired honorably from the US Navy and settled in Virginia Beach after 18 years of active duty. An active member of her community, forming strong friendships with her church community, local West Indian Associations; she wanted to focused her energies on spending quality time with her children and her parents. 

Karen’s Entrepreneurial and creative drive was unstoppable! She pursued a wide range of interests, including Amway, Transamerica, and a host of others before she found her fit with ACN; a multi level marketing company. She would embrace this new role guiding, career counseling and financial advisement, a skill that came naturally to her. Her true passion was creating dishes that could nourish your spirit and soul. She wanted to bring her organic love to gather and feed people in atmosphere of warmth and fellowship and was in the process attaining a space to open her restaurant before her diagnosis.   

Karen battled a breast cancer diagnosis with grace. Gruelling rounds of chemotherapy did not deter her from being a supportive mother, doting grandmother, a dedicated sister and a loyal friend. When she was diagnosed with stage four uterine cancer in 2022, she beat the odds and relished quality time with loved ones.