Karen McCleary Metz

Karen Angela McCleary Metz, the wife of Craig Huseman Metz for 41 years, and the mother of Preston Worthington Metz, died peacefully at home in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2026, following more than eight years of courageously enduring severe complications from ANCA Vasculitis. A Fourth Generation Memphian, she was the daughter of Harry Robert McCleary, Jr. and Mary Angela Gallina McCleary, who resided in Germantown, Tennessee, with horse stables in Collierville, Tennessee. She was the granddaughter of Harry Robert McCleary, Sr., the President and Co-Founder of McCleary Industries, Inc. and McCleary Brothers, Inc., and Sadye Marie "Peggy" Trebing McCleary, of Memphis and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Joseph Charles Gallina, who owned and operated a 7,500 acre commercial farming enterprise along the Mississippi River in Shelby County, with his brother, John Gallina, for many years, and Frances Facelli Gallina, of Memphis. One of the largest truck farming operations in the Mid-South, producing vegetables and cotton, the innovative Gallina Brothers Farms employed on average 300 seasonal workers and was one of the first agriculture sites in the Mid-South to utilize crop dusting for aerial application on fields and to employ massive irrigation systems on a large-scale basis.

Following her mother and her aunts, she was graduated from the Saint Agnes Academy for Girls, founded by the Dominican Sisters, in Memphis, in 1851, which she attended from Kindergarten through the Twelfth Grade. She received the Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design from The University of Tennessee, where she was an officer of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

Following her graduation from college, she returned to Memphis, where she joined Kimbrough, Inc., the firm of Kenneth Kimbrough, as an Interior Designer, and she continued with the firm when it merged with E.C. Denaux & Co., to become Denaux-Kimbrough. She later moved to Mills Morris, where she concentrated on commercial interior design. During this time, she was an Associate Member of the Memphis Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and served a term as Secretary. She was also the Chairwoman of the House Corporation of the Delta Delta Delta Chapter at Rhodes College, overseeing the renovation of the Chapter House and establishing an annual fundraising drive for philanthropy.

With a keen interest in Culinary Arts, she changed careers, receiving the Blue Ribbon Diploma from Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School and studying Classic French Culinary Techniques in France. She became the Head Instructor at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School in 1984, and she assisted Peter Kump and Julia Child during their formation of the James Beard Foundation and the purchase of the James Beard Residence, in New York City, for the headquarters. She was certified as an Instructor by the International Association of Cooking Professionals (IACP), and she assisted James Beard, Jacques Pepin, Marcella Hazan, and Diana Kennedy, among other culinary leaders, in conducting classes. She was also named to Outstanding Young Women of America in 1984.

Upon her relocation to Washington, DC, in 1987, she became the United States Representative for Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne, one of the first professional cooking schools in France to conduct simultaneous instruction in French and English, with locations in Paris and Burgundy. For a number of years, they also operated “La Varenne at The Greenbrier,” providing specially designed intensive programs for guests at the resort.

Seeking to express her creativity in other areas related to the culinary field, in 1991, she formed Karen Metz & Company, through which she designed and produced gift boxes for baked goods. Her first commercial customer was Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, who requested that she design and manufacture a box to his specifications in the signature green of their brand, which was carried in all of their stores. Various designs of other boxes that she created were featured in catalogues and culinary specialty stores internationally under the brand that she established, "Baker's Wrap." During this time, she was an active member of the Food and Libations Association of Virginia (FLAVA), a trade association for the specialty food industry.

She later established a branch of Peter Kump’s Cooking School for the Washington, DC Area, where she led classes that continued until his death in 1995 and the sale of the school. From that point, she re-activated Karen Metz & Company as a culinary consulting business, with HADCO, which was later acquired by Viking Range, as a principal client. She was also selected by the United States Air Force to develop the meals for inflight service on Air Force Two, at the request of the Vice President of the United States for a higher level of cuisine onboard.

She was the Past Chairwoman of the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF), having served on the Board of Directors for a number of years. She also led fundraising events for AIWF Scholarships, that were held at Union Station and The Hay-Adams, featuring Julia Child and the leading Chefs of Washington, DC.

She was an active member of the Junior League in Memphis, New York City, and Washington, DC, where she was a member of the committee that developed and published Capital Classics - Recipes from the Junior League of Washington, and where she later became a Sustaining Member.

A devoted mother to her son, Preston, she was enthusiastically present for all of his school and sports activities, also volunteering in various support roles at Saint Albans School, including as an Annual Giving Form Representative and with the Washington National Cathedral Flower Mart for nine years. Her devotion extended beyond her connection to his time in school, dedicating herself to raising him to be the compassionate, open-minded young man into which he has developed. She also shared her love for cooking and culture with him, nurturing passions that remain to this day. Most importantly, she quietly demonstrated how to recognize and care for others, committing significant amounts of her time to helping anyone who she perceived as needing assistance; especially, among the elderly and those who are homebound. Always placing the needs of others before herself, she wholeheartedly volunteered her time to caring for a number of individuals, organizing their living situations, overseeing their medical care, providing meals, and being present in their lives daily, for companionship and to provide hope.

In addition to her husband and her son, she is survived by her brother, Harry Robert McCleary III, and his wife Jennifer Connell McCleary, of Memphis; her sister, Teresa Marie McCleary, of Memphis; her sister, Alisa McCleary Byars, and her husband, Lewis Jefferson Byars IV, of Tuscumbia, Alabama; her aunt, Sandra Gallina Chiles, and her husband, Walter William Chiles, Jr., of Germantown, Tennessee; her mother-in-law, Annette Worthington Metz, of Columbia, South Carolina; her sister-in-law, Carol Metz O'Kelly, of Florence, South Carolina; her former brother-in-law, Dr. James Kevin O'Kelly, Sr., of Florence, South Carolina; the fiancee of her son, Elizabeth Parker Barringer, of New York City; three nieces; a nephew; and two great-nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and a Godfather of Preston, Peter Kump, of New York City.

Memorials may be made to the Madonna Learning Center, 7007 Poplar Avenue, Germantown, Tennessee 38138.

The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to those who so generously donate Blood, Platelets, and Plasma, which helped to sustain her at the initial life-threatening manifestation of her underlying illness and for the remainder of her life.

The family also gratefully recognizes the dedicated Medics of District of Columbia Fire Department Engine Company 31 Forest Hills Station, for their skillful and compassionate care at her home and during numerous ambulance trips to hospitals, as well as the Medics of the Air Ambulance Team, for their lifesaving care in transit during one of her three Heart Attacks.

A person of absolute integrity, who lived her Faith through her actions, with an exceptionally compassionate nature and zest for life, she shall be greatly missed by her family and those whose lives that she positively impacted in a variety of ways, including her former students, whom she nurtured, and friends throughout the Country.

On Thursday, February 5th, a Viewing shall be held at the Joseph Gawler's Sons Funeral Home at 1:00, with the Funeral Service to be conducted in the Chapel at 2:00, followed by a reception. Officiating the Service shall be, Reverend Richard Arthur Mullins, Pastor of Saint Thomas, Apostle Catholic Church; with the participation of Reverend Brooks Franklin Hundley, Senior Chaplain, Saint Albans School; and Reverend Dominique Francois Peridans, Rector, Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes, Episcopal. Honorary Pallbearers are members of the Saint Albans School Class of 2012.

On Saturday, February 7th, the Rite of Committal with Final Commendation shall be held at her graveside, at Magnolia Cemetery, in Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:00, conducted by Reverend Mark Lowell Sargent, of the Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario, Canada; followed by a reception at 44 Queen Street, in Charleston. Active Pallbearers are: Vic Brandt, Butler Derrick, Drew Fanning, Chappy McKay, Brown McLeod, John Moore, Cal Stephens, Ed Vaughan, Charles Waring, and Congressman Joe Wilson. Honorary Pallbearers are: Attorney General Alan Wilson, Dr. Addison Wilson, Julian Wilson, and Hunter Wilson. James A. McAlister Funeral Home has charge of arrangements in Charleston.