Mary Kay Kare (1952-2021)

Fan and convention organizer Mary Kay Kare, 69, died in early October 2021 of a blood infection.

Mary Kay Jackson nee Flechs was born July 1, 1952, and grew up in Oklahoma, where her interest in fandom began. In the late 1970s, she was a member of the Norman Oklahoma SF Society, and edited their fanzine, Red Dust. She later lived in Ohio, Seattle, and San Jose.

Kare was deeply involved on cons and fandom and was known as “a mover and a shaker” in filking. She was a conrunner, co-chair of Potlatch 19 in Seattle (2010), and helped work on numerous other conventions, including Worldcons.  She was active in the Mythopoeic Society as well, serving on its council of stewards, and served as a World Fantasy Award judge. She was also involved in various amateur press associations. She worked as a cataloging librarian until her retirement. Kare’s husband, fan and physicist Jordin Kare, predeceased her in 2017; Kare’s involvement in fandom diminished afterward.