She is survived by beloved sons Erik Moore (Kathleen) and Jason Moore (Heather), grandson Daegan Moore (Claire), and step-grandchildren Elijah Nalley (Frida) and Lennon Nalley. She maintained a close and special relationship with Jack Moore, the father of her children, until she took her last breath. She’s also survived by Dianna Starr, who loved her and helped care of her for many years as her best friend. Karen leaves behind her three beloved cat companions--Rowdy, Bingo, and Hannah.
Karen is also survived by so many special friends that were like family—her fellow Franciscans and the entire congregations of St. Terese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, and St. Jude Catholic Church in Red Bank, Tennessee; her fellow Kairos Sisters; the fellow residents of Blue Ridge Landing Apartments in Benton, Tennessee; and a host of loved ones she made throughout her life all over the country and world.
Karen was born in Richmond, Indiana, to Warren Hamilton Niles and Florence Estelle McCourtie Niles. She was baptized at Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Indiana on June 9, 1953. She is a descendent of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
She attended Haven Intermediate School and graduated from Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Indiana, in 1960, where she participated in Girls Club, Latin Club, and Pan-Am, and served as secretary, treasurer, and president of the Library Club (“Miss Library 1960”). She studied at Shimer College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, and at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, S.C. A lifelong learner, in 2010, at the age of 68 when most retire, Karen enrolled at Kaplan University, and at the age of 70 graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services. She was a member of the Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Karen lived in numerous geographic areas in her life and made friends and community in each, most notably in Evanston, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Clemson, S.C.; Pendleton, S.C.; Seneca, S.C.; Lookout Mountain, Georgia; and Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Benton, Tennessee.
Karen was stricken with polio as a child and had severe rheumatoid arthritis, but she never let her physical ailments stop her. In recent years, she survived a car wreck that left her body in shatters. But no matter having to use a cane, walker, or wheelchair, she lived life to its fullest and radiated positivity. She traveled broadly and served in her communities, graciously and selflessly. Despite any limitations the world put on her, she defied them and kept going…and kept laughing. Even in her darkest of days, she laughed heartily and never let physical ailments define her. She truly lived her best, full life.
A devout Catholic, Karen received her First Sacrament of First Holy Communion and the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation and made a Solemn Profession of Faith in the Roman Catholic Church on December 14, 1983, in the Church of St. Andrews in Clemson, S.C. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to her faith, serving in various roles in several Catholic churches and participating in Kairos (prison ministry) Outside of Northwest Georgia, then also with East Tennessee Kairos Outside.
In more recent years, Karen earned her tau in the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), wherein she served as an active member of the local Tennessee chapter, Channels of Peace SFO. Karen possessed a true servant’s heart, tending to the needs of many, always putting others before self. She kept the saints and her rosaries everywhere, from her home to her purse to her pocket.
In a Facebook post from 2009, Karen shared 25 Random Things most important to her, including, first and foremost, her faith in God, writing, “I don’t believe in coincidence as much as I believe in God-incidence.” She also wrote that, “death is not an ending but a passageway into another realm.” And she shared advice for all of us: “Too many people don’t stop to smell the roses—we must enjoy the moment—we only get it once.”
Our beloved mother, grandmother, “Grammy,” mother-in-law, sister, and friend, Karen will be cremated and her ashes interred at Hamilton Memorial Gardens in Hixson, Tennessee. A memorial mass will take place at St. Jude Catholic Church at a later date. Memorial gifts or contributions can be made in her honor to St. Jude Catholic Church (stjudechattanooga.org) or to any local Humane Society.
A prayer to St. Joseph: To thee I have recourse, St. Joseph, Patron of the dying and to thee, at whose blessed death watchfully assisted Jesus and Mary, by both these dearest pledges I earnestly recommend the soul of this servant handmaid in the sufferings of her last agony, that she may be thy protection be delivered from the snares of the devil and from the eternal death, and may merit to attain everlasting joy. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
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