"You have to be happy every second you breathe." That is a quote from one of Karrli's many journals. Karrli knew all along that she wasn't going to have as long of a stay as everyone else, but that never stopped her from happily living life to the fullest. In high school I would drive Karrli to school everyday and sometimes I would go over certain hills really fast or drive really crazy just to get a rise out of her. (Always with safety in mind mom and dad!) She would say things like "Hail! Don't!" and use her trademark eye roll at me. A few years later, Karrli got her own drivers license and her own car, which after much deliberation she proudly named "Othello;" not as an homage to Shakespeare as most would think, but simply because she liked the way the name rolled off her tongue. I would always be so excited to ride around with Karrli in her "hooked up" new ride. When we would come across the same hills where I used to floor it, I would expect Karrli to cautiously continue along the road as usual. Suddenly, the car picked up speed we flew over the hill as my stomach dropped. I looked over and there was Karrli, two hands expertly gripping the wheel with a satisfied smirk on her face. "I learned that from you, ya know!" She seemed to be half scolding me and half thanking me. No matter how nervous, afraid, or uncertain Karrli was at first, she always conquered her fears.

Not only did Karrli know how to show people a good time, she also knew exactly how to give them a good-natured hard time. She became somewhat famous at CHOP and beyond for her brilliant dry wit, her deliciously high levels of "sass," and her often not-so-subtle sarcasm. Many of those traits she was able to sharpen due to her love for the raunchy, sassy, and yet oddly poignant cartoon chronicling the adventures of the dynamic Griffins, "Family Guy." One of my favorite private moments with Karrli would not have taken place if it were not for our mutual love for the show.

I took Karrli on a date of sorts (even though she drove me in her pimped out ride): dinner and a movie all topped of with everyone's favorite, Rita's Water Ice. While the entire outing was an absolute blast and Karrli was one of the best dates I ever had, my favorite moment of the evening was waiting for the movie to start and playing Karrli's favorite game, which involves going back and forth to see who can come up with the best, funniest, or most obscure "Family Guy" quote. I think the real game was seeing who could get through saying their quote without laughing hysterically. She told me how happy she was to finally be able to play that game she loved so much with someone who could at least put up a good fight against her advanced skill level, and I was honored to be given that esteemed distinction.

Because of Karrli's tremendous love for all things "Family Guy," we will now hear Stewie, the Griffin family's British-speaking baby genius with a plot for world domination, sing his rendition of the Elton John song "Rocket Man." This was one of the few songs that Karrli would actually sing completely unabashed in front of anyone! Enjoy the music, enjoy the humor, and always enjoy life, because as Karrli would say, life is pretty freakin' sweet.

I wish Karrli could have written something for me to say. She has always been so much better at that stuff. A friend of mine joked that instead of writing something, I should derive an equation for 'the Essence of Karrli'. And as much fun as that would be, I will resist, because I have no doubt that Karrli would find some way to prevent me from committing such a flagrant act of nerdy-ness in her memory.

There are a lot of things in my life that I owe to Karrli, such as the fact that my computer is still functioning and that I have seen all 3 Harry Potter movies. She probably was never aware of this, but in part I also believe that I wouldn't be this healthy without her. You might not know that there are only about 30,000 people with CF in this country, that's less than the number of undergraduates that go to Penn State, and on top of that, most of us are advised not to come in contact with each other. I have heard of many teenagers with CF who stop taking care of themselves, simply because they think that nobody could possibly know what its like to live with CF and they give up, especially once they leave the structured-ness of home. I have never felt that way, and I believe that is 100% due to Karrli. No matter how frustrated I got with telling people "No, I don't have a cold and No, I don't smoke" or explaining why I put butter and salt on almost everything, or explaining why I have to be home early to wear a bizarre vibrating vest, I knew that there was always one person who knew exactly how I felt. Other than our parents, Karrli was the one person who I could be with and feel totally normal, and luckily for me she was a really cool kid, which also made being with her a lot of fun. There was no way that I would have let her give up like those other kids and that gave me the strength to keep going as well. Like any big sister I tried to set a good example for her, but as she forged ahead despite it being so much harder for her to stay healthy, she was also a good example for me. I can never thank her enough for that.

Every so often someone would ask if the two of us were twins. Karrli would then proceed to try to convince them that she was the one who was 4 years older, and it usually worked but I'm pretty sure it was just because I'm shorter. I always liked when that happened. I couldn't imagine having a better twin. Besides, she was so beautiful.

Tribute by Mary Field, mother

Tribute by Corey Field, father

Text of the Program

Lyrics to "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)"
(Recorded by Blessid Union of Souls)

Lyrics to "The Middle"
(Recorded by Jimmy Eat World)

Memorial Service Poem

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page