OBITUARY: Karen Hugger

Funeral services for Karen Hugger, 78, longtime Boca Grande resident and real estate broker, will be held at 10 a.m. at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Boca Grande on Saturday, Nov. 11. A reception will follow in the church’s Fellowship Hall. All are welcome.

Karen passed away in October following a stroke in March. She is survived by her husband, Rick Hugger; her brother, David Ferriot and her nephews, Ronald and Joseph Ferriot; a daughter, Marcie Cannon (Wade); two grandsons, Liam Hugger, who graduated from The Island School and Joshua Holloway (Abby); a granddaughter, Ashley Holloway Meyers (Brian), and 13 great-grandchildren.

A son, David Hugger, and granddaughter, Courtney Holloway, predeceased her.

The Huggers were a familiar couple in Boca Grande. They could often be seen enjoying lunch together in one of the local restaurants. Karen was particularly fond of Miller’s and The Temptation, where she celebrated her 76th birthday. Friends and acquaintances especially remember Karen’s kindness and sweet disposition. 

She enjoyed boating and lobster diving in the Keys.

Karen was born in Akron, Ohio and graduated from St. Petersburg Junior College, where she received a nursing degree. She obtained her real estate license in 1988 and was also a notary. Rick and Karen met in the mid-1970s on Sanibel Island. They were married in 1978. 

The Huggers developed, owned and managed a 19-unit resort on Sanibel called the Signal Inn, which is still in operation. They sold it in the 1980s and moved to Boca Grande in 1988. In 1993, Karen and Rick founded the Buyers Resource of Gasparilla Island Inc., a real estate business. She managed the office while Rick was in charge of property sales. 

Contributions in Karen’s memory can be made to the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande.