Karen Cochran Moore was born on June 27, 1947, in Evansville, Indiana, across the Ohio River from the idyllic town of Henderson, Kentucky, where she spent her childhood years. She died peacefully on February 2, 2026, at her home surrounded by family. Her mother was from Oklahoma and family trips to Marble City introduced her to her future home state. She left Kentucky in 1965 to matriculate at the University of Oklahoma where she graduated in 1969 with a BA in English literature. After a short period in Minneapolis involved in journalism activities focused on the anti-war and Native American rights movements she returned to Tulsa where she began her career as a photographer at the Chamber of Commerce and learned to take photos while hanging out of the windows of aircraft. She then worked with the Arts and Humanities Council Tulsa where she managed arts programs for youth. She joined athe education department at Philbrook Museum of Art producing multi-media shows and operating a weekly film series that took place in the First National Bank theater on the downtown mall. She was part of a production of A Midsummer Nights Dream by renowned puppeteer Andy Trumpetor's Blackbird Theater that took place on the Philbrook lawn and led to her leaving on a tour of the east coast with a spin off puppet theater. During this time she formed the lasting friendships with members of the Tulsa arts community that she treasured for the rest of her life. Having obtained a teaching certificate she then embarked on the profession that consumed the rest of her working life: teaching. During the next thirty years she taught upper division and adult students starting at Spartan School of Aeronautics Ed where she taught ESL to international students. In 1985 she began teaching English in the Cascia Hall Upper School where her enthusiasm for literature, poetry and drama inspired many of her students. She always credited the excellent cadre of fellow instructors there for improving her mastery of the craft of teaching the humanities. From 1989 to 2009 Karen taught at Holland Hall School developing a hybrid class of Foreign Language and History that introduced her students to the excitement of international cultures. She became an avid advocate of the All Kinds of Minds teaching approach which confirmed her belief that all children can become successful students if only their individual learning style is taken into consideration. Nothing pleased her more than to have a former student thank her for igniting their love of the arts. In retirement Karen enjoyed travel, camping with friends, films, reading and Sunday breakfasts with a circle of friends.

Karen was preceded in death by her mother Romilda Hoffmann, father A. Lincoln Cochran and step-father George Hoffman. She is survived by her husband Paul Moore, son Lincoln Laymon-Cochran, son-in-law Jeffery Laymon-Cochran, step-son Matthew Moore, brother Steven Cochran of New Orleans, Louisiana, sister-in-law Kathy Moore of Round Rock, Texas, co-in-laws Connie and Rick Laymon of Lynn Haven, Florida, and many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

No services are planned. A memorial event will be announced at a later date.