Karen Jean Lewis

Karen Jean Lewis (nee Arl) passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on June 7, 2025, after battling cancer for nearly eight years. Karen was born in Belleville, IL, on February 11, 1946, to Harold and Eugenia Arl. She is survived by the love of her life and best friend of over sixty years, William (Bill), their ten children, William “Chip” (Sharon), Khristy (Doug), Tracey, Deleney (Dave), Brandon (Dawn), Stepheney (Mike), Ryon (Bri), Bryon “B.G.” (Kristal), Desteney (Kyle), and Drew, her nineteen adored grandchildren Meghen, Shawn, Shyanne, Robby, Grace, Austin, Alexa, Nathan, Allison, Colten, Zoey, Garrett, Braydon, Liam, Reed, Bennett, Grant, Carter, and Lylah, one great-grandchild, Eleanor, her brother-in-law, Mike Lewis, her beloved dog, Hunter, her grand dog, Lucky, and the many friends of her children who frequented the Lewis home over the years and lovingly called her, “Mom”.

Karen and Bill met in the 5th grade while living in the same neighborhood. She initially thought Bill was the neighborhood bully, but quickly realized he wasn’t and fell in love. Over the years, their love blossomed and she reminisced about writing “I LOVE Bill” on her school notebooks. Karen was a proud member of the Belleville Township High School Gabrielettes and enjoyed watching Bill perform in the Black Knights. They married on October 10, 1964, and recently celebrated sixty years of an incredibly beautiful life they built, setting an example for their children and those who knew them.

Karen was creative and a gifted artist. She was the master “fixer.” She could sew a button on last minute or paint the whole house while Bill was away on business. She prepared school lunches in an assembly line and dinner to feed 500 people. She loved animals, big or small, any kind, and randomly brought new pets home. Karen served on the PTA, Boy Scouts, and Brownies. After the youngest started school, her passion led her to years of running All Feeds Lawn and Garden groom shop where she got her “dog fix.” Of any of her jobs or hobbies, being a wife, Mom, and Ma’am/Mimi/Grandma/MawMaw brought her the most pride and joy. She never missed an activity, sporting event, or any milestone in the lives of her family, and most importantly, she never missed the opportunity to say “I love you.” She was strong, feisty, and stubborn, and her children would pity anyone who messed with her husband or kids, but she was also kind, generous, and loved fiercely and hard those she cared about. She made her house a home and her door was always open. One of our favorite childhood memories was seeing piles and piles of shoes at the front door daily. Everyone was welcome in her home no matter the time of day, and you never needed an invitation. She had a great sense of humor and took the cruelty of cancer with a positive stride by always cracking a joke and refusing to let it win by never saying “cancer” the entire time she was fighting. She did not want it to define her. She never complained and handled all she went through with grace, positivity, and stubbornness.

We will miss our biggest cheerleader and encourager, how magical she made the house look at Christmas time, her homemade cinnamon rolls, her hugs, how she taught her family to “surround yourself with people who add to your life, not take away,” and how she could make you feel so much better by just her sweet, “I love you, Sugar” at the end of every phone call or visit. We will miss her terribly.

Karen is preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Eugenia Arl, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, William and Gloria Lewis, and a sister-in-law, Linda Davis.

On behalf of the Lewis family, a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Peterson, Nurse Katie, and the entire staff at Siteman, as well as Angel Nurse Jim, who all provided exceptional care, support, and love to Karen and the entire family.

A visitation for Karen will be held Thursday, June 12, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Lake View Funeral Home, 5000 North Illinois Street, Fairview Heights, IL 62208. A funeral service will occur Friday, June 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM, at the exact location. Following the service, Karen will be laid to rest at Lake View Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Karen's memory may be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, https://give.bcrd.org.