Karen Ann Malatesta, 76, of Cranbury, NJ, passed away peacefully on November 28, 2023 after a brief battle with cancer. Karen was born on January 10, 1947 to George and Ann (Clark) Augur in the city of Springfield, MA. She graduated from Classical High School in 1964, and pursued her passion for science through a degree in Biology at Jackson College within Tufts University, where she also met her first husband, Robert Armstrong. Karen started her career as a researcher and obtained her PhD in Genetics at the University of Minnesota in 1975. Her academic aspirations created a strong foundation for her life. After graduation, she held positions as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at San Diego, a researcher at the Stonybrook University (then SUNY Stonybrook) and ultimately a senior lecturer at Princeton University in the Department of Molecular Biology. Karen loved her work and would spend countless hours in the lab over the years, where she would constantly look for new and better ways to conduct research and educate her students. Karen met Paul Malatesta while they both worked at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in the early 1990s. They married in 1992 and enjoyed 25 wonderful years together. Karen retired from Princeton University in 2016. Even in retirement, Karen didn’t stay still. She dug into her love of gardening, became well known for her rigorous walking routine, read tirelessly and spent many smile-filled hours with her grandchildren, whom she adored. Karen was predeceased by her husband, Paul Malatesta, and her parents, George and Ann Augur. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Courtney and Michael Golisano of Cranbury, NJ, and their three children Evan, Alexander and Caitlin; her stepson and stepdaughter-in-law, Christopher and Elizabeth Malatesta of Bridgewater, NJ, and their two children Connor and Tyler; her brother and sister-in-law, George and Mitzi Augur of Ocala, FL; her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Deborah and Tony Bream of Charlotte, NC; as well as numerous extended family members, cherished friends and close colleagues. She will be forever missed. There will be a visitation at Owens Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Winchester, TN, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 11am followed by a service at 1pm and burial in Owens Chapel Cemetery in Winchester, TN, where Paul and five generations of her maternal family are buried. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Tufts University in her name. Moore-Cortner Funeral Home 300 1st Ave NW, Winchester, TN, 37398, (931)967-2222
