Kari Lamancusa

On February 12, 2026, Kari Grace Lamancusa was called into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She would want to be remembered first and foremost as a humble ambassador for the good news that Jesus died for us and welcomes us into His forever family by grace through faith.

She devoted her life to sharing Jesus with others in so many ways. In her teens and early twenties, she was a missionary to youth and university students in Chicago, Yellowstone National Park, Mexico, Kenya, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Later in life, she poured herself into little ones as a Children’s Leader at Bible Study Fellowship and into adult women as a mentor and home group leader. But her most joyful ministry was being a mom. Sophie (20), Clara (16), and James (12) were constantly surrounded by Kari’s tenderness, nurture, and delicious cooking. She was passionate about raising them in the knowledge of their salvation through Christ and sacrificially showed them what a life lived for Christ looks like.

Kari was married to her husband and kindred spirit, Joe, for 22 years. Her favorite place was by his side, hand-in-hand, as they walked through local neighborhoods, foreign cities, and National Parks. For them, a tent in the wilderness was preferable to a five-star hotel. “Time among trees is never wasted,” she would say, as they traipsed off into an aspen grove or an old growth forest.

To know Kari was to feel truly heard. She asked genuine questions and patiently listened to real answers. Her gentle spirit put everyone at ease and quieted the noise of life. Though her passing leaves an unbearable emptiness on Earth, she is now in heaven and can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Kari is survived by her mother (JoEllen), siblings (Winston, Dave and Kristin), and countless friends and family who experienced the light of Christ in her. She will be laid to rest in Abingdon, Virginia, next to her dear father James Waldo Tiscornia.

Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 pm on Friday, February 20, 2026 at SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST, 1740 Zollinger Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221. Funeral Service will be 9:30am on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church: Lytham Road Campus, 2300 Lytham road, Columbus, Ohio 43220.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be made to Bible Study Fellowship. https://www.bsfinternational.org/