Karen M. Bolton

Karen (Paduch) Bolton, 70, of Dartmouth, passed away on September 28, 2026 surrounded by her loving family. Born on October 10, 1955, Karen was the third of six children born to Mary (Dowd) Paduch and Stanley Raymond Paduch of Somers, CT.

Karen was a fiercely loving friend and maintained vital relationships with people from all periods of her life. After graduating from Our Lady of the Angels Academy in Enfield, Connecticut in 1973, Karen attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in printmaking. While there, Karen traveled to England to study, a period which was very memorable for her artistic and personal life.

After college, Karen worked as an illustrator for medical publications before becoming a graphic designer and working for GenRad in Concord, MA where she met her former husband Steven Arnold Bolton. Karen and Steven were married in 1986 and had two children, Katharine (Bolton) Ricketson of Westport, MA and Evan Timothy Bolton of New Bedford, MA. Following the passing of her father in 2006, Karen returned to school to study MRI, joining her interests in health and anatomy with her grasp of visual information. Graduating at the top of her class at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 2007, Karen went on to help many people through her work in imaging and her confident and compassionate bedside manner until her retirement in 2023.

Throughout her life, Karen continually turned to art as a means of expression and a way of celebrating the world around her. This held true even after she experienced a life-altering stroke in September 2023. Attending the Westport Art Group's figure drawing weekly, Karen found community and renewed sense of self through her artistic work.

Karen is survived by her former husband, son, daughter, son-in-law Will Ricketson, and granddaughter Mariel (in whom she found constant joy), as well as her brother, David Paduch, brother-in-law David Pinney, and three sisters Nancy Zuber, Martha Paduch, and Barbara Amy as well as many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her mother, father, and sister, Patricia.

It is impossible to convey the loss that will be felt by Karen's family and community. She was a deeply loving friend, fierce advocate, passionate and tireless student, and a role model for many. In honor of her devotion to compassionate care and the joy and hope she found in her work with them, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Marjorie Nicholas Aphasia Center in her honor.

Marjorie Nicholas Aphasia Center Giving Page

Your gift helps the Nicholas Aphasia Center at Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions continue providing free speech-language therapy to adults with aphasia, while also supporting meaningful community experiences such as social outings, conversation groups, and intensive programs.

A private service and celebration of life will be held in her memory.