Karen W Strouse

Karen Wilson Strouse went to be with the Lord on September 25, 2026, at the age of 85, in Lebanon, Ohio. She is survived by daughters, Christina (Mark Schwabenlender) Magellan, Dora Dyami and Michelle (Adam) Wieser; son, Matthew (Jamie) Strouse; stepsons Donald (Dianna) Bennett, Kevin (Gaylene) Strouse; sister Loleta Harrington; and numerous grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, William Wilson and Zoe (Cox) Hockley; siblings William Wilson Jr, ZoeAnn (Albert) Hockley, Natalie Hockett, and Jeannean (Paul) Hayes.

Karen was born on September 19, 1941, in Luckey, Ohio. Her family moved to Toledo in 1948. She attended Fulton School in Toledo through 8th grade and moved to the East Side in 1955 where she attended Waite High School, class of 1959.

In 1963, Karen took a job as an assistant in a lab at Owens-Illinois in Toledo, where she met husband Melvin Strouse. They were married in May of 1965. They especially enjoyed travelling together and were able to visit all 50 states. They would be married for 58 years until his passing in 2023.

For many years, Karen kept very busy balancing work and family, taking college courses in what little spare time she had. In 1987, Karen received her bachelor’s degree in human resources from the University of Toledo. This led to her employ at Great Northern Nekoosa corporation, which subsequently moved she and her family to Connecticut in 1989. One year after the move, the company was bought out, and she began her tenure at Bernard Hodes Advertising in New York, where she earned the title of Vice President of Human Resources. Following a transfer of her husband Melvin’s job in 1997, she began work at Premier Insurance of Massachusetts in Worcester, MA as their HR Director. It was from here that she would retire in 2007.

Karen always enjoyed people, especially working with children. During the 70’s and 80’s, she was a Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent at Eastminster United Presbyterian Church in Toledo, Babysitter, and Computer Instructor at the New Horizons Academy and Ladyfield School. While working in Worcester, MA, she began volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused, abandoned, and neglected children in Worcester County. It was this work that she dearly loved and actively pursued in her retirement in Florida as a volunteer in the Guardian Ad Litem program and with Voices for Children of North Central Florida. After returning to Ohio, she sought all opportunities to work with kids at Lebanon Presbyterian Church, assisting where able with Sunday School, VBS, and other children’s programs.

Karen has chosen cremation through the Neptune Society, and a memorial service will take place on Sunday, November 8th, 2026, at Lebanon Presbyterian Church, 123 N East St, Lebanon, OH 45036. Visitation at 2 p.m., Memorial Service at 3 p.m., and reception after. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lebanon Presbyterian Church (Lebanon, Ohio) or Voices for Children of North Central Florida.