KB Mercer ( Karen Beth Mercer) 1959-2024.  Age 64.

Born at Wright Patterson Airforce Base,  Dayton, Ohio 

Her father was the late Robert Mercer.  Her mother is Jinx Mercer.  Siblings are Michael Mercer and Gregory Mercer.

Attended:  Albany Academy for Girls and The North Carolina School for the Arts

Married to Doren Elias May 3,1999 in San Diego, CA.  No children.

KB was an extraordinary actress, a loyal friend, a tireless activist for climate change,  wildlife, and democracy.   A wife, sister, daughter and a friend to many people across the theatre, environmental and political communities. She was generous to a variety of causes and to the many people she cared deeply about.

KB spent her early years in Albany, New York where she attended The Albany Academy for Girls. After spending some time in NYC she enrolled at the prestigous North Carolina School for the Arts. She then moved to San Diego with her friend Sean Murray and became a staple of the independent, edgy theatre community, performing at various locations like The Fritz. While in San Diego she produced The Tempest at the Hotel Del Coronado and taught for The Old Globe where she met her husband, Doren Elias. The two were married in the Anza Borrego Desert. Together they created the educational programs for The Mainly Mozart Festival and acted at Lamb's Players Theatre where she performed in dozens of productions.

With Doren she helped create and manage a successful national children's theatre company, Traveling Lantern, which has been entertaining children across the country for the past 20 years. For the company she was its president, business manager and creator of many unique props and costumes. KB managed up to 7 teams that travel across the country performing at schools and libraries.

 KB was a cat lady through and through. She often said she preferred the company of animals to people and her cats were her beloved children.  She rescued and housed many strays during her life.  She is survived by 3 cats;  Harlow, Ramona and Twilight.  Through the National Audubon Society and other animal organizations, KB cared and tended for dozens of injured wildlife. She was fearless in her efforts to rescue any animal in distress and would go to outrageous efforts to save them: crows, ravens, squirrels, racoons, seagulls, ducks and even a skunk!

As a trained actress, she lived and worked in New York, San Diego and Portland. She also did voice-overs and film work. KB was extremely versatile, dynamic to watch, and earned the respect of her colleagues for her talent and professionalism. She collected many accolades for her work in theatre over the years. Her last performance was as Martha in Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf at Clackamas Repertory Theatre with her husband, for which she was highly praised.

She never lost her love for the theatre but her passions changed to the environment and climate change after moving from San Diego to Portland. KB became involved with a variety of organizations including the Citizens Climate Lobby where she attended lobbying sessions in Washington, DC twice a year and her beloved local climate change group MCAT  Mobilizing Climate Action Together in which she was a core member. She worked on a variety of local and state political campaigns and is well known in Salem and beyond as a fierce, intelligent, articulate force of nature.

Sadly KB took her own life on Sept. 21, 2024.

KB was loved and respected by wide variety of people from many different backgrounds. Sharp, funny, tenacious, engaging, charismatic,opinionated and yet classy and elegant as well, KB will most definitely be missed by all that knew her well. She had an open heart but one that was more vulnerable than many knew. May her memory be eternal.

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