Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 56F. SSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 56F. SSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Karen Ann Batman, 68, of San Mateo, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2020 after living courageously with cancer for two years.
Karen was born in 1952 in Chula Vista to Torao (Tee) and Martha Yamagata, whose families farmed for many years in the San Diego South Bay region. The quintessential California girl, Karen was a cheerleader at Chula Vista High School, spending free time with her friends at the beach. These early Chula Vista friendships would last her entire lifetime. Karen went on to graduate from U.C. Santa Barbara with a degree in French. A college year abroad at Universite de Bordeaux instilled in her a lifelong love of European travel and an appreciation of French art, food, and culture.
Karen met West Virginia transplant Richard Batman when they both worked for Rohr Industries in Chula Vista. They married in 1976, and in the 1980s, a job transfer moved them north to San Mateo with their young son Andrew. Karen and Richard were exemplary parents, generously lending their time and talents to Andrew’s schools and sports teams, supporting his many interests and taking special delight in providing memorable experiences for Andrew and his friends. Karen and Richard enjoyed a wonderful 31-year marriage before his passing in 2007.
Karen joined the Hilton San Francisco as a catering assistant in 1985, launching a stellar 35-year career in the hospitality field. A strong work ethic from Tee and Martha, coupled with her graciousness, thoughtfulness and authenticity were a perfect fit for hospitality and she quickly moved into catering sales, then joined the hotel’s respected sales team, where she became Asst. Director in 1990, retiring in 2014 as Director of National Accounts for the hotel. Among her many notable accomplishments, Karen developed and grew the very successful pharmaceutical conference and meeting market for Hilton, booking several successful new drug launches, and was twice Hilton Corporation’s Salesperson of the Year. She was known as a true ambassador, not only welcoming clients and guests to the City of San Francisco and the hotel, but also engaging and supporting all of her colleagues, from front line employees to senior management. After retirement, she enjoyed an encore career as V.P. of Global Accounts with ConferenceDirect, using her industry expertise to assist clients with conference planning.
Karen had an effortless sense of style and grace that she brought to all she did, whether arranging flowers, entertaining, gardening, photography, fashion, cheering for her beloved San Francisco sports teams, or planning celebrations and travel adventures for family and friends. Karen’s open heart and generous spirit gave her a special ability to make and maintain friendships and she will be missed by friends and colleagues around the world. Her beautiful smile, sense of humor and infectious laughter could light up any room. May her memory be a blessing and may her light continue to shine in all of us.
Karen is survived by her son Andrew, of whom she was tremendously proud, her mother Martha, mother-in-law Louise, sisters-in-law Sarah and Jessie and brother-in-law Bob. She was predeceased by her husband Richard, father Tee and brother David. As Karen enjoyed the art of flowers, whether in her garden or in the lovely bouquets she fashioned, please consider a donation in her memory to one of her favorite gardens, Filoli Historic House and Garden, 86 Canada Road, Woodside, CA 94062. A celebration of Karen’s life will be held at a future date.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.