Karen Louise Fleck

Karen Louise Fleck, 84, of Hemet, CA, passed away on Friday, January 26, 2024. Karen was succeeded in death by her loving husband of 58 years John, who passed in August of 2022. Karen was the beloved mother of three children: Paul Scott Fleck and wife Teri Fleck of Lakeside, CA, Melinda Kay Dunagan and husband Stephen Dunagan of San Jose, CA, and Michelle Yvonne Clifton and husband Jeffrey Clifton of Landrum, SC. Karen also left behind 10 grandchildren: Tiffany Lynn Milliken and husband Daniel Milliken, Jonathan Patrick Lynn, Joshua Patrick Lynn and wife Ariana Lynn, Sarah Marie Lynn, Tabitha Lynn Fleck, Katherine Joy Lynn, Alexander Paul Clifton, Rebekah Hope Lynn, and Elyse Yvonne Clifton.

Karen was a registered nurse and she worked most of her career with terminally ill children at Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio. After retiring, Karen and John relocated to San Diego to be closer to family and to enjoy the warm sunny Southern California weather. One of her favorite things to do in San Diego was to sleep over at the San Diego Zoo’s “Roar and Snore,” and to take a thermos of hot coffee to Pacific Beach and look for the “Green Flash” as the sun sank below the horizon.

In her retirement, Karen became a Master Gardner, and she volunteered many hours teaching container gardening, and giving tours of the flower fields in Carlsbad, CA, as well as working in her own personal garden. She taught piano lessons and loved taking road trips with John that often took them across the country. She traveled to many places: planting gardens & teaching gardening in Africa, hanging out with Koalas in Australia, and visiting China and South Korea, to name a few.

Karen loved the Lord and was committed to serving him in many capacities in the church. She directed VBS for many years, sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and assisted with children’s choir and drama at Shadow Mountain church in San Diego. She spent her last decade in Hemet, CA, where she loved serving her community through the local church. Crossroads Baptist Church is where she called home. Karen was involved in the discipleship ministry, she sang in the church choir, and devoted herself to serving others, and to bible study. In a short time, Karen and John became very connected to their new community. We (as her children) are so grateful for the love and care shown to Mom as she struggled in her later years with Parkinson’s Disease.

Karen will be greatly missed and is surely feeding a giraffe in heaven!

Services will be held on Saturday, March 9th. The memorial service will be at 10:00am at Crossroads Baptist Church, 433 S San Jacinto St, Hemet, CA 92543. Followed by a graveside service at 2:00pm at Singing Hills Memorial Park, 2800 Dehesa Rd, El Cajon, CA 92019.