Karen Denise Guyon Clements passed away peacefully on June 3, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 90.
Karen was born on February 18, 1936 to Iola LaJune and Wendell Shattuck “Doc” Guyon in Montpelier, Idaho, where she spent her childhood. She was the first woman in her family to attend college, graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in French. A lifelong lover of language, literature, and learning, she had a deeply intellectual mind behind her gentle manner.
Karen worked as a high school English teacher in California, later becoming a beloved piano teacher who taught her children, grandchildren, and friends’ children from her home and organized annual recitals that brought students and families together. She also worked as a tour guide in Washington, D.C., sharing her enthusiasm for history and the nation’s capital with visitors, and later worked for ZCMI.
Karen raised her six children—Janet, Greg, Kyle, Alisa, Lance, and Brian—in the Washington, D.C., area. Determined to take full advantage of living in the nation’s capital, she filled their childhood with museum visits, historical sites, and summer evenings listening to US Marine Corps band concerts at the Tidal Basin. She believed that the world was meant to be explored and appreciated. That spirit of curiosity carried her far beyond home. She lived in Idaho, California, Chateauroux, France, Virginia, Maryland, and Utah. She also traveled extensively throughout North America and Europe, and visited Australia, China, and South Africa. Whether traveling abroad, researching family history, reading a mystery novel, quilting, crafting, sewing - particularly French hand-sewing and clothing for her children’s and grandchildren’s special occasions, or watching a favorite crime show, Karen approached life with wonder and enthusiasm. Music was woven throughout her life. She was an accomplished pianist and organist who faithfully played for church services for many years. For her children, one of the defining sounds of home was hearing their mother playing the piano downstairs as they drifted off to sleep each night.
Karen was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many capacities throughout her life, including as a young women’s camp director and church organist. Her faith was reflected less in words than in action. She was a caretaker by nature, deeply committed to family, friends, and anyone who needed encouragement, companionship, or a listening ear.
Family was the center of Karen’s life. She was her children’s and grandchildren’s greatest cheerleader. To her, every accomplishment was remarkable, every effort worthy of praise, and every grandchild exceptional. She was endlessly supportive and unfailingly proud of those she loved. She also had a gift for making a home. Her children remember waking before dawn to a warm breakfast before school, seminary, or work. They remember that no matter the circumstance, a proper meal would appear. Leftovers became Friday-night soup. An evening departure for a family road trip still warranted a full dinner packed to go. Her love was often expressed through care, preparation, and making sure everyone was fed. Karen had a deep love for family history and genealogy. She spent countless hours researching ancestors, preserving records, and helping others document their own histories. She also recorded her own life story through a collection of memoirs, leaving future generations a priceless gift of memories, stories, and wisdom.
Those who knew Karen remember her warmth, gentleness, intelligence, and steady presence. They remember her homemade gifts, her joy in tiny things, ladybugs, and her unwavering loyalty and care of friends. They remember her delighting her grandchildren with texts, including emojis, her fondness for mysteries and crime shows, and her playful reminder that she was probably “silently correcting your grammar.”
Karen is survived by her six children; seventeen grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; her sister, Kathleen Mouritsen; her brothers, Edwin and Peter Guyon; thirteen nieces and nephews; and many dear friends whose lives were enriched by her kindness and friendship.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Iola LaJune and Wendell “Doc” Guyon, and by her beloved husband, Roland Clements, whom she married in 1997.
Karen was laid to rest on June 9, 2026, at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. She was surrounded in death, as she was in life, by a family that loved her deeply. Family members traveled from across the country and around the world to honor her, a testament to the lasting bonds she nurtured throughout her ninety years. Her legacy lives on in the music she taught, the stories she preserved, the traditions and keepsakes she created, and the generations of family and friends who were fortunate enough to be loved by her.