Karen Cancino

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Karen Cancino at age 44. She tragically passed away at Royal Columbia Hospital after battling for her life for hours from medical complications leading to cardiac arrest on November 21, 2025.

Karen is survived by her significant other of 10 years, Isaac Dent, her parents, Irma Alicia Ramirez and Raul Cancino, and her brother, Jesus Cancino.

In her extended family, Karen is survived by her aunt Paulina, uncles Manual and Epigmenio, (Pime) and cousins Michelle, Jennifer, Graciela, David, Monica, Isela, Marcos, Lucy, Jackie, and Luis Enrique. Karen is predeceased by her aunt Graciela Rees, and her uncle Jose Luis Ramirez.

Karen was born to this world in Mexico City to loving parents, Irma Alicia Ramirez and Raul Cancino. Karen and her parents stayed with her grandmother, Maria De La Luz Reyes, her grandfather, Epigmenio Ramirez, and her uncle Epigmenio Ramirez (Pime) for her early years while her parents worked in the city. Karen was especially close to her grandmother, Maria, who was a loving and integral influence on her childhood.

Karen immigrated to Canada at the age of 4 with her parents and was issued her Canadian citizenship certificate in 1992 at the age of 11. She built a life in and around Langley, joined by her relatives.

She graduated from high school (Mountain Secondary, Langley) in 1999, and later earned her Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) at UBC (2005-2010) with extensive knowledge of western flora.

She was a Lead Lab Technician at Luxxotica from 2010 to 2014, designing glasses for Lenscrafters, an Artist-Educator at the City of Surrey from February 2016 to 2025, with ongoing contracts with the Surrey, Clayton Community Centre, and Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Surrey Art Gallery (2017 - 2025), and an executive member of The Makercube Society from 2015 to 2018. She was the co-founder of Melton Sparks Technologies with Isaac Dent from 2018 to 2025, providing art and science (STEAM education) workshops for grade school students across the Lower Mainland and within homeschooling societies. She developed a vacuum-fried vegetable chip business that was sold at local farmers' markets. She started an Etsy e-commerce business (IridescenceDesignsCo) from 2021 to 2025, making colorful holographic jewelry to inspire magic, wellness, and self-love that aligned with her beliefs. She also made and sold jewelry for weddings and craft fairs.

Karen had significant trauma in her life since childhood. She was also struck by a car as a pedestrian in late October 2014, where she sustained a neck injury that left her in chronic pain. She litigated with ICBC for 5 years afterwards while seeing specialists to advocate for ICBC to support her recovery. It was difficult for her because the pain further impacted her mental health. Yet she had hope, and she taught herself to see what possibilities existed rather than what wasn’t possible.

She regularly adopted holistic approaches to health, such as managing her weight and inflammation through nutrition from clean, unprocessed, healthy home-cooked meals. She always prioritized sleep and wellness, and sought the help of many professional and community services.

Her hobbies reflected her active pursuit for better physical health and wellness. She took part in women’s groups sharing thoughts and growing communication skills, mentoring with different coaches and guides of different backgrounds, received chiropractic care, kinesiology, occupational therapy, RMT massage and physiotherapy, yoga, medical Qigong, energy healing, art therapy, heat therapy, light therapy, psychotherapy (counselling), meditation, journaling her thoughts and ideas, the pursuit of spiritualism, continuing from her Mexican indigenous and shamanic roots, to look and work within.She gardened and grew vegetables seasonally, learned and practiced homeopathy, grounding herself and connecting with nature, and countless other wellness interventions. While she also had pharmaceutical support, she fully believed that she could heal naturally.

Karen also tutored math, played piano, designed, sewed, and crocheted her own clothes at home and alongside knitting and crochet circles. She also processed crystals, rocks, and mineraloids into beautiful jewelry using special tools.

She strived to be lastingly positive and rarely expressed negativity. Always searching to understand and to be understood. We were blessed to have this time with her. She was fully loved and will be missed for as long as we live. Thank you for the life you shared with us. With your happy step and quick smile.

Irma Karen Cancino Ramirez

June 5th, 1981 - November 21, 2025

A church service and celebration of life will be held for her later in January.