Karen Smith Graham

Karen Smith Graham passed away at LifeCare Center of Port Townsend on September 30, 2026, surrounded by friends and family.
Karen was born in Yakima, Washington on February 8, 1939 to Douglas and Agatha Smith. She married Richard (Dick) Eberle in January, 1964, and had a son Michael and daughter Colleen.

Dick abruptly passed away in 1969. Karen worked as the manager of the dining room at Port Ludlow for years, then corporate changes led her to focus on the true joy of her life - collecting and selling antiques and antiquarian books. Karen loved estate sales and filled her home with a multitude of collections of rare items. For many years she would reluctantly part with some of her acquisitions at her booths in the Port Townsend Antique Mall.

Karen’s interests and enthusiasms were legion. Acquiring books was a life-long passion, and she started her shell collection by gathering moon snails at 4 AM in the morning, she gathered beach glass at North Beach, she acquired many glass floats, filled cupboards with antique bottles, and covered her shelves with pottery. Potters knew Karen by name at craft fairs; they were always delighted to see her coming. Many of her collections were emulated by her family - Karen’s legacy lives on in her family’s houses. Karen opened her bookstore “Insatiables Books” in her early 60s, inspired by East Coast bookstores she saw when traveling to see her son at Brown University. Karen loved being “the book lady” and made many friends at her store.

People would come from all over to visit and argue over who got to sit in the comfortable chair near her counter. To the chagrin of some members of her family, her motto was “Always Buying” - and as long as she had the store (and even after) - she did. COVID and her declining health forced Karen to close Insatiables. This was a moment of great sadness for her - she loved the connections she made with the people who came through her door (especially if they brought books for her to buy). Karen’s family would like to thank the team at LifeCare Center, who laughed with her and made her last years as comfortable as possible. The staff went above and beyond and she made wonderful friends even at her end.

 Karen was preceded in death by her brothers Dale and Demain Smith. She is survived by her son Michael Eberle and his wife Shareen and daughter Colleen Prichard and her husband Doug. She will also be missed by her grandchildren Camille Eberle, Anya Eberle, Max Prichard, Liam Prichard and his wife Lillie. 

A celebration of Karen’s life will be held at The Cotton Building (250 Madison Street, Port Townsend, WA) on Saturday, November 21 at 2:00 PM. Please join us as we remember Karen and share stories about her life.