{"id":1005,"date":"2026-06-03T18:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1005"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:13:09","slug":"remembering-karen-huntsmans-legacy-of-family-and-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1005","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Karen Huntsman\u2019s legacy of family and giving"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>KEY POINTS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Karen Huntsman, wife of the late billionaire industrialist, Jon M. Huntsman Sr., died.<\/li>\n<li>Huntsman was a mother to nine children, a businesswoman and a philanthropist.<\/li>\n<li>The Huntsmans founded the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Huntsman Mental Health Institute.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Karen Huntsman, businesswoman, philanthropist and matriarch of one of Utah\u2019s most influential families, has died at age 88.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1003\">Opinion: Do debates matter?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Huntsman worked as vice president and director of Huntsman Corp., which included the once-largest privately held chemical company in the United States. She served as a director of First Security Corp., as a director of Intermountain Health Care and as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents.<\/p>\n<p>She was the wife of the late Jon M. Huntsman Sr., billionaire, businessman, political organizer, philanthropist and former Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who died in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>The Huntsmans are parents of nine children. Their son Jon Huntsman Jr. was the U.S. ambassador to Russia and was previously governor of Utah and ambassador to China. He ran for president of the United States as a Republican in 2012.<\/p>\n<h3>Family \u2018chief operating officer\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Huntsman was described as a practical woman who could not be stopped once she put her mind to something. Huntsman Jr. called her the \u201cchief operating officer of the noise and the chaos\u201d of their large family. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was important for my mother and my father to do something bigger than themselves,\u201d said her son David Huntsman. \u201cThey always wanted to be engaged and involved in ways that contributed to the community.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Jon and Karen Huntsman created a family foundation in 1988 that has grown to support cancer research, mental health treatment and research, public and higher education, and the under-served. Together the couple transformed cancer and mental health care at the University of Utah.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe learned from our mother what strength, determination and integrity is. She was dauntless in her pursuits and passions while still supporting her husband and our family. Her legacy runs through our family and is passed on to all her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren,\u201d said her daughters, Jennifer Huntsman Parkin and Christena Huntsman Durham, per a University of Utah press release.<\/p>\n<p>The Huntsmans presided over the Washington D.C. Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1980 to 1983.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><svg><g><g><g><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Huntsman was born in San Diego, California, to David B. and Ruby Haight. David B. Haight would later become an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She attended the University of Utah where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority and active in student affairs. She left school during her junior year to marry Jon M. Huntsman Sr. in 1959. She received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Huntsman died Monday at home in Salt Lake City. She is survived by her children Jon Jr., Peter, Christena, David, Paul, James, Jennifer and Mark. Her daughter Kathleen died in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1001\">From faith to failure, the advice commencement speakers gave the Class of 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Cancer becomes personal<\/h3>\n<p>The work of treating cancer was personal to the Huntsman family as the disease took both of Huntsman Sr.\u2019s parents. In 1995, the Huntsman family donated $100 million to create the Huntsman Cancer Institute. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was blessed to have had Karen Huntsman in my life for more than 25 years. Karen was a guide and an inspiration,\u201d Dr. <u>Mary Beckerle<\/u>, member of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation Board of Directors, and CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute from 2006-2025, said per the release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe lived a life of gratitude, humility and generosity \u2014 whether selecting and placing art on the walls of Huntsman Cancer Institute with her grandchildren, cheering on our caregivers and scientists, or navigating her own cancer diagnosis with unparalleled grace. She had an eye for beauty and a full heart. She will be deeply missed and never forgotten. Her spirit will always be present at Huntsman Cancer Institute, joining that of her husband, Jon, and continuing to light the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Huntsman and her husband both also battled cancer themselves. After Huntsman Sr. died, she directed the work of the Huntsman Foundation amid her own fight with ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n<h3>Legacy of compassion and caring<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cKaren Huntsman\u2019s legacy will be felt for generations,\u201d said Bob Carter, executive vice president for health sciences and CEO of University of Utah Health. \u201cTogether, Karen and Jon Huntsman transformed cancer and mental health care through visionary investments in research, discovery and patient care. Their impact extends across U of U Health, including the establishment of the 12 Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chairs, which continue to advance innovation and research.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>University of Utah President Taylor Randall said compassion, generosity and an unwavering belief in the power of healing and hope defined Huntsman\u2019s life. She and Huntsman Sr. and their family \u201chelped build one of the great philanthropic legacies in our nation\u2019s history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKaren and Jon Huntsman were an unmatched pair of visionaries, equally committed to innovation, advancing research, caring for patients and strengthening their community,\u201d Randall said. \u201cTogether, they dedicated their lives to defeating cancer and reminded us that mental illness touches every person and every family in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, the Huntsman family committed $150 million to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, we have felt her guidance, experienced her generosity, and will continue to carry forward her spirit in the work we do every day,\u201d said Brett Graham, institute president. \u201cWe honor her life with immense gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, Forbes wrote that Jon and Karen Huntsman were America\u2019s second-most generous philanthropists, having given away $1.55 billion in their lifetimes, which the magazine calculated as 160% of their net worth at the time. Their generosity to the organizations and charities that caught their eyes or tugged at their hearts put them among roughly two dozen people who had given away at least $1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=999\">Deseret News archives: Jazzman Karl Malone was one of a kind, and an MVP at it<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who was Karen Huntsman? Did Karen Huntsman have cancer? Who has John M. Huntsman Sr.? The Huntsman family created Huntsman Cancer Institute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-utah"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Remembering Karen Huntsman\u2019s legacy of family and giving - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1005\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remembering Karen Huntsman\u2019s legacy of family and giving - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who was Karen Huntsman? 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