Karen was born on June 2, 1962, in Noblesville, Indiana. She was the third of four daughters born to Howard and Dorothy (Buchanan) Barnhill. She began her love of travel at a very young age. Growing up, she lived in Indiana, California, England, The Philippines, and Illinois.
In 1982, she met the love of her life, Douglas MacGregor. They married on March 10, 1984, and welcomed their daughter Kathryn in 1993 and son Daniel in 1996 while residing in Derby, Kansas.
Karen loved spending time with her family and friends. Many weekends were spent at Table Rock Lake, teaching anyone who wanted to learn how to waterski. Karen also loved to travel and was always planning or looking forward to the next family vacation. From Disney, to Hawaii, Barbados, Florida, Colorado and Nashville. Always dreaming of the ocean and ever far from a camera, she cemented every memory.
Karen radiated happiness with her contagious smile, loved to laugh, try new recipes and always thought of everyone else before herself. She lived every day trying to be the complete opposite of a “Karen.”
Karen was preceded in death by her father Howard, and her best friend Diana.
She is survived by her husband Douglas, her daughter Kathryn (Benjamin) Boutwell, her son, Daniel (Jaclyn) MacGregor, and her grandson Owen Boutwell, as well as her mother Dorothy, her sister Margaret Lawson, her sister Kathryn (Stephen) Osborne and her sister Patricia (Raymond) Price and her beloved nieces and nephews.
A Visitation for Karen will be held Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at McGilley State Line Chapel, 12301 State Line Road, Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a Celebration of Life at 2:00 p.m.
Karen had bravely suffered from metastatic breast cancer for almost 8 years. A special thanks to Dr. Pluard and the kind staff at Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer. She spent her final days in the compassionate care of Kansas City Hospice House.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Karen to the Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer at Saint Luke’s or the Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care.
