That’s Not What I Expected: Informative and Entertaining Revelations on Widowhood

Special Event | Available (Membership Required)

5/4/2026 (one day)
1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST on Mon
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That’s Not What I Expected: Informative and Entertaining Revelations on Widowhood

Special Event | Available (Membership Required)

Whether you expect widowhood to be difficult, always morose, or something from which you

eventually return to normal, you are only partially correct. From stories about a horrendous tax

bill caused by brain fog, beating a trampoline with a sledgehammer in frustration, or escaping

to Australia, you’ll begin to gain new insights into what lies behind the curtain of confusion

about widowhood. You’ll better understand the expectations about:

· financial security

· changes in friendships,

· healthcare,

· new love,

· new learning and engagement,

· independence, and

· the need for help and support.

You’ll be surprised or validated as you learn more about the future lives of the 2,800 women

and 1,100 men who are widowed every day in America.


The Three Widows

Karen S. Justice, MBA, (Three Widows) has taught at the industry, college, and high school levels. She developed and taught front-line workforce training for the Maryland Department of Economic Development, Division of Tourism, Film, and the Arts. She’s edited training materials for childcare workers in Central Texas.

Justice taught “History and Progression of Women’s Recreational Opportunities and Equipment” as an adjunct professor in a cross-departmental program at Baltimore City Community College, and consumer economics to high school juniors and seniors. She has also provided staff training and facilitated strategic planning for multiple nonprofits and small companies.

Dr. Rebecca LaChance (Three Widows) has an extensive background in teaching. She taught critical care nursing to new nurses in hospital settings. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor at Ball State University in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. LaChance also taught as a visiting lecturer at community colleges in Indiana and Ohio.

Her military career involved teaching enlisted personnel how to provide care for medical research volunteers during clinical studies. She was also responsible for creating research protocols and teaching personnel how to carry them out efficiently and correctly.

Her doctorate specialized in Health Policy in the Community and Health Care Economics. Her doctoral thesis studied how advance directives were implemented in a military medical hospital.

Karen Smith Racicot (Three Widows) is a co-author of Widows Among Us: Stories and Insights and an adjunct Professor at Frederick Community College, teaching a course on organizing and preparing important documents based on her workbook, I Didn’t See That Coming!

The workbook includes worksheets and an easy 4-step process to organize, record, review and store the important legal, financial and insurance documents that have a significant impact on the after-effects of a Life Event. Smith is a certified Life Coach and was an owner and employee of a local accounting business for 30 years with her late husband.

Karen has also spoken at various venues in the DC metro area, including Maryland Women’s Conference, Maryland Society of Accountants, Women’s Business Network, and various Rotary, Lions Clubs, and Church groups. She can be reached at karensmithracicot@threewidows.com