Stephen Karp

DUDLEY - Stephen D. Karp, 67, died Friday, April 10, 2009 in his home.

He was predeceased by his wife, Jean Karp, in March of 2006.  He is survived by his four children, Mary Kay Knox and her husband, Stephen Knox of Sturbridge, John Karp and his wife Kathi of Marlborough, CT, Vincent Karp of Glastonbury, CT and Matthew Karp and his wife Helena of Dudley, MA.  He also leaves four grandchildren, Katie and Sam Knox of Sturbridge and Nicole and Charlie Karp of Dudley.

Steve was born in Jersey City, NJ and moved to Flushing, NY as a young boy.  He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and the NY Maritime Academy.  He graduated from Indiana Tech, and began a career as a civil engineer specializing in steel construction.  He settled with his family in Mineola, NY where he made his home until he moved to Dudley in 2000.  While in Mineola, he owned and operated Salwin’s of Nassau, specializing in kitchen and bathroom renovation. He also served the Village of Mineola as the Director of Public Works.  Later in his career, he specialized in general contracting estimation for firms in Massachusetts and Connecticut.  After moving to Dudley, he became a member of the Dudley Building Committee and was vital in the construction of the Dudley Municipal Complex.

In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, good New York pizza, watching horse racing, and being on the lake with his grandchildren and family.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, May 2, in the Belanger Bullard Funeral Home, 51 Marcy Street, Southbridge.  A calling hour will be held from 10:00 to 11:00am, before the memorial service.  In lieu of flowers, in accordance with his wishes, donations can be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 1 Bulfinch Place, 2nd Floor Boston, MA, 02114, or to your local humane society.  A guestbook for Steve will be available at www.BelangerFuneralHome.com.