Karen Pilcher, a lifelong Mancos resident, has been named the 2026 Mancos Days Pioneer Queen by the Mancos Colorado Days Association. Her selection celebrates a lifetime of dedication to family, hard work, and service to the Mancos Valley.

Born to Thomas Charles Honey and Sarah Emmaline Honey, Karen, and her 3 sisters, Wanda, Shirley, and Linda, grew up in Mancos and graduated from Mancos High School. Growing up, Karen was active in Rainbow Girls, choir, and band. Karen and her husband, Oren, met and dated in high school and went to Oren’s senior prom together. Dancing has always been a huge part of their lives as husband and wife.

They married on October 23, 1965, shortly after Karen graduated from high school. The short ceremony that family and friends still joke about, “lasted about six minutes.” The couple moved to Provo, Utah, so Oren could finish school. They returned to the area and, in the fall of 1966, settled into a small trailer at 8508 Road 41. In the fall of 1971, they moved into their current home at 8512 Road 41, where they raised their two daughters, Lora and Tonya. Karen’s teen work experiences included several years as a maid at the Welcome Motel in Mancos and a summer working at the hotel and restaurant connected to the Durango Train Station, alongside her sister Shirley. One summer memory she often recalls with a smile (and a grimace) involves peanut butter sandwiches every meal every day during a stay in Denver. Her ambition upon graduating was to pursue nursing training at Mesa State in Grand Junction but was unable to enroll due to paperwork issues. Although she could not complete formal nursing education, she fulfilled that calling in meaningful ways by providing compassionate home health care for elderly and ill family members and extended relatives from 1982 to 2008.

A devoted partner in life and business, Karen served as bookkeeper and assistant mechanic while Oren ran his own business. She was also a devoted mother, teaching her children how to sew, cook, and preserve foods by canning. The art of leather work was also something she was dedicated to and loved to share with her children. She was a dedicated Girl Scout leader from 1975 to 1983 and Mancos Pom-Pom sponsor from 1985 to 1988.

When the family took over the farm full-time in 1989, Karen’s dedication took on a new level. She took on the major role of the farm while others balanced off- farm jobs and responsibilities. She fulfilled every role on the farm: irrigation, bookkeeping, running equipment, making meals, laundry, gardening and canning, and even pulling calves when needed—She drew the line at operating the hay liner, D4 dozer, and backhoe, declaring, “If I learn, I’ll have to use them— and I don’t want to!”

Upon Oren’s retirement, Karen has been able to step back from the farm work and enjoyed yard work (distinct from her lifelong gardening and canning), attending Celebrate Recovery, and being active in church. She and Oren cherish time with their two daughters, Lora and Tonya, three grandsons Victor, Brendon, and Anthony, and eight great-grandchildren. Karen follows in the footsteps of Gladys Pilcher, her mother-in-law (Mancos Days Queen in 1974), and her Aunt Lois Humiston (Mancos Days Queen 2007) continuing a special family legacy of community and strength. She looks forward to celebrating this honor with family, friends, and the town she has loved and called home all her life.