Karen R Setti

Karen Rita Corbett Setti passed away at home on August 21, 2023 after a long and fierce battle with multiple myeloma. She is joining her husband of 57 years, Richard Neal Setti, who passed of Covid 19 in April 2020. She is survived by her son Craig (co-parent Bernarda), her daughter Lara (Chris), and son Jason (Maria). She also leaves behind her 5 beloved grandchildren, Gabriella, Liam, Dylan, Naima, and Rebekah. In addition, she is survived by her elder brother Denis, as well as cousins Joanna and Lorraine. Karen was, quite simply, a force of nature. Her tiny body, topped with red hair and adorned with freckles, belied her enormous presence. Karen was born in Jersey City to Muriel and Thomas Corbett on September 12, 1944. Raised in an Irish Catholic community, she was a student of the telling of tales from a young age. She drew on this experience throughout her life, weaving lore into her parenting, friendships, nursing career and care of her patients. Karen met her husband Richard at a Sweet 16 party in 1960 in their hometown of Jersey City. After Richard enrolled in a Jesuit seminary, Karen went on to nursing school at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ. Some years later, after Richard left the seminary, they married and started their family in the Bronx. Karen and Richard soon relocated to Teaneck, NJ to raise their family together in a community which shared the values of religious, cultural, racial and social diversity they held up for their children. Leading by example, Karen was always an upstander, not a bystander, whenever she witnessed mistreatment of others. Love and equity were guiding forces in her life. From the start of her career, Karen was enamored of intensive and critical care nursing, working briefly in new ICUs at both Christ and Jacobi Hospitals. She went on to a remarkable career at what is now Hackensack University Medical Center for 49 years. Always propelled by a love of learning and quest for knowledge, Karen enrolled in night classes for her BSN at Fairleigh Dickinson University for 13 years while working full time and raising a family. During this time, she worked as a staff nurse in the Medical ICU and CCU, a nurse educator, and ICU head nurse. It became evident to Karen that she did not find the fulfillment in her administrative role that she did in her clinical one, and was anxious to return full time to the bedside. Towards this end, Karen went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania (while still working full time in the MICU!) and became a clinical nurse specialist. She subsequently became the first nurse practitioner in Hackensack University Medical Center history. As was her nature, she always wanted to learn more, do more, teach more and she often went to work early to learn procedures she would use in the ICU. Her never waning dedication to the advancement and practice of nursing lives on in those she taught, cared for and inspired. Karen was dedicated to her family and found joy in creating beauty in her home and garden, alongside her husband Richard. Surrounding themselves with plants, trees and birds in the oasis they created at home renewed her soul after long and weary days at work. They loved traveling and finding beautiful antiques, the perfect new perennial plant or glorious bulbs for the yard. Karen’s passion for living was inspirational. Yet her greatest joy was found in the company of family. Large holiday gatherings or vacations, trips and adventures, or simply sharing a meal in her backyard. Her soul was fed by the stories and successes of those she loved and her ardent and unwavering support carried many of us through challenging times. Karen lived her life with the simple guiding principles of love, learning, sharing knowledge and paying it forward. We will miss her terribly and will strive to carry her love for forever and a day. Please join us for a Celebration of Life at the Volk Leber Funeral Home in Teaneck, NJ on Sunday, September 10, 2023 from 11 am-1 pm. Repast will follow at Karen’s home, in her gardens, at 304 Morningside Terrace, also in Teaneck. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation in support of a newly funded Karen Setti Memorial Scholarship. Any size donation is welcome to support Karen’s incredible legacy of nursing care and education. Checks can be made payable to “HUMC Foundation” at 343 Thornall Street, 7th Floor Edison, NJ 08837. Please put Karen Setti on the memo, or give online at give.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/goto/KarenSetti

Karen R Setti

September 12, 1944 - August 21, 2023