Karen McManus

Karen Gayle Swenson McManus was born in Milford in 1945 and passed away in November of 2025 at the age of 80. She was the daughter of Frances (Carter) Swenson and Ernest Swenson, of Milford and Everett. She had an older brother, Ernest “Billy,” and a younger sister, Karla. Karen grew up on Oakhurst Road in Hopkinton, alongside Lake Maspenock, where she worked as a lifeguard and swimming teacher. She graduated from Hopkinton High School and attended Newton Junior College and Boston University, where she studied chemistry and laboratory science.

During her early scientific career, Karen worked in medical research in the Endocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical Research. Through Harvard, she served as a medical consultant to NASA on the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs. She was a member of the American Association of Clinical Chemists.

After raising three children, Brian, Sean and Kristin, she returned to Massachusetts General Hospital in the early 1990s. There, she spent nearly three decades as a laboratory technician working alongside Dr. Joel Habener, eventually retiring as a manager of the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology.

The Molecular Endocrinology researchers at MGH were early pioneers in the discovery and research of GLP-1 as treatments for diabetes, liver disease and obesity. Karen was passionate about the potential of GLP-1 as a groundbreaking treatment for diabetes and other diseases. She was a co-author of several scientific papers on GLP-1, including “GLP-1 Amide Pentapeptide Increases the Basal Energy Expenditure and Inhibits Weight Gain in Obese Mice,” published in the journal Diabetes in 2015.

She resided in Boston, Framingham and later Mashpee. She belonged to the Plymouth Congregational Church in Framingham and served for several years on the board of Community Boating in Boston. She enjoyed traveling and music and was a masterful home chef, having studied cooking with Madeleine Kamman, a French chef and restaurateur. She is survived by her three children, her sister, two grandchildren, a niece and nephews.

A celebration of life service will be held at the Plymouth Church in Framingham on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m. Arrangements are under the care of the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton.

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