Karen Marie Courtwright

April 25, 1941 – September 16, 2026

Karen Marie Courtwright was a woman who valued family, friendships, animals, nature, and the routines and traditions that made up everyday life.

Born in Carrollton, Missouri, on April 25, 1941, Karen spent most of her life in Tonganoxie, Kansas. Throughout her life, she created homes that reflected her interests and personality—organized, comfortable, and filled with family, friends, animals, flowers, and plenty of activity.

The great love of Karen's life was her husband, James “Jim” Robert Courtwright. They were married for almost 33 years, and they genuinely loved being together. Karen was happiest when Jim was beside her. Their years together on their 10-acre farm in Tonganoxie were filled with the ordinary things that became extraordinary because they shared them—taking care of the property, watching their animals, relaxing together, and the occasional spontaneous ice-cream run when Jim talked Karen into getting out of the house.

No one could make Karen laugh quite like Jim. Their relationship was beautifully summed up by George Eliot:“What greater thing is there for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined for life?”

Karen's love for Jim was a gift she carried throughout her life, and their time together was one of the greatest sources of her happiness.

Family remained an important part of Karen's life. She loved her daughter, Kimberlee, and son, Brent, as well as her grandchildren, Hillary and Blake, and her great-granddaughter, Veronica.

For Hillary and Blake, Grandma Karen and Papa Jim's 10-acre farm was a place of freedom and adventure. There were chickens, baby chicks, a rooster, cats, a dog, and plenty of room to run and explore. There were also Grandma Karen's special treats. After spending a weekend at Grandma's, Hillary and Blake made sure their parents knew one important fact: Grandma Karen always had chocolate pudding and Oreo cookies.

Easter egg hunts at the farm were another tradition. With ten acres available for hiding places, there was always plenty of ground to cover. At least one egg seemed to escape detection each year, sometimes remaining hidden until the lawnmower eventually found it.

Later in life, Karen became a great-grandmother to Veronica. Veronica quickly learned that sharing her blocks was a way of showing affection, and Great Grandma Karen was happy to provide a lap for a whole collection of them. Karen enjoyed the photos and videos of Veronica and frequently shared them with family and friends.

Karen also maintained close relationships with her siblings, Marilyn, Jewel, Paul, and Sam. Phone calls, texts, lunches, and regular check-ins kept them connected and involved in one another's lives.

When her mom could no longer host the family's holiday gatherings, Karen took on the tradition and continued bringing everyone together. There was a hearty meal, plenty of baked cookies, stories, laughter, and eventually hours of conversation around her large kitchen table.

Karen's family had a longstanding tradition of gathering around the kitchen table rather than spreading out into the family room. Those who married into the family sometimes wondered why everyone preferred kitchen chairs when there were more comfortable chairs elsewhere. The answer was simple: you could sit closer and hear the stories better.

Karen understood that family traditions did not require elaborate occasions. Often, they were simply people sitting together, eating, talking, laughing, and keeping up with one another.

Karen's faith was another long standing part of her life. She was a member of Covenant Baptist Church, with a relationship to the church spanning 73 years. Her faith and the people she met through the church remained important throughout her life.

Friendships were also important to Karen. She maintained friendships throughout the years and enjoyed the conversations, meals, outings, and regular routines that kept those relationships going.

At Fall Creek Villas, Tuesday mornings meant breakfast with friends. Karen was often the unofficial transportation coordinator, loading her minivan with as many people as it would hold. The Fall Creek Breakfast Group was lively enough that more than one waiter or waitress commented on how much fun the group seemed to be having. Karen enjoyed people, conversation, and a good story.

Karen was especially fond of cats and enjoyed the companionship of the ones that shared her home.

On the farm were Mr. Sally and Mr. Kitty, originally given names appropriate for female cats until everyone discovered they were boys. Rather than rename them, Karen simply added “Mr.” to their names. Then there was Bo, a large gray cat who lived near Karen and Jim at Fall Creek Villas. Bo eventually decided that he belonged with them. His original owner, Karen, and Jim all tried to convince him otherwise. Bo disagreed. After an entire day of howling, everyone accepted that Bo had made his decision. Karen's last cat was Miss Ember, a beautiful tortoiseshell with five toes on her front paws. Miss Ember became a familiar part of Karen's daily life, and the two were very attached to one another.

Karen's love of animals extended to the birds and wildlife around her home. She maintained bird feeders, a birdbath, and special feeders for bluebirds and hummingbirds. She kept bird books and binoculars nearby and enjoyed watching and identifying the many birds that visited her yard.

Gardening was another longtime interest. Earlier in life, Karen maintained a large vegetable garden. Later, she focused more on flowers and plants and took pride in her home and yard.

Karen was independent, practical, and determined. At 81, she was still mowing her own lawn with a push mower. She finally had to give it up when she could no longer push the mower up the hill—not because she wanted to stop, but because the hill finally won.

Those same qualities carried into her working life. Karen spent 42 years in accounting and office positions, working at Montgomery Ward, Covenant Baptist Church, Conmaco, CD Contractors, and Everseal Gasket. She earned an Associate's Degree in Accounting from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 1986.

Karen was known for being organized, detail-oriented, and dependable. Later in life, she served as HOA Secretary and Treasurer at Fall Creek Villas. She also became the unofficial “Tech Support” for friends and neighbors, quickly figuring out smartphones, apps, and whatever technology happened to need attention. She remained curious and willing to learn throughout her life.

Karen's life was filled with the people, activities, and routines she enjoyed: family and friends, cats and birds, flowers and gardening, conversations around the kitchen table, Tuesday breakfasts, mystery novels, word puzzles with her daughter, ice-cream runs with Jim, and time with her grandchildren and great-granddaughter.

These familiar routines and traditions became part of the memories she leaves with her family and friends.

Karen leaves behind family traditions, stories, recipes, photographs, and countless memories that will continue to be shared by the generations who knew her. She will be remembered for her independence, practicality, love of family and friends, appreciation of animals and nature, and the everyday activities that gave her life its character.

A celebration of Karen's life will be held at a later date, giving family and friends an opportunity to come together to remember and honor her. Details will be shared as arrangements are finalized.