Karen Renée Perry

Karen Renée Perry, age 73, of Seminole Florida, passed away peacefully in her home on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025. She fell asleep in her recliner and passed quickly as the result of a cardiac event. She was a very spiritual woman of deep faith and was at peace when God called her home.

Karen was born on July 21, 1951 in Fort Worth, Texas. Her mother was Mary Jo Richards and her father was James William Stout. She was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. Many years later, she earned an associate’s degree in medical transcription.

She was a beautiful, elegant redhead who had an even more beautiful spirit. She was a hard worker, and a loving mother to three children and grandmother (Nana) to three beautiful grandchildren.

Karen was retired for several years from Blue Cross Blue Shield, where she had most recently worked as a customer service representative and claims specialist.

Karen’s zest for life and ability to find joy daily in small ways and large ways was truly special. She never met a stranger, and always made the people she interacted with feel important and loved, no matter how well she knew them, where they were from, or their nationality or personal belief systems. She was very honest, kind, and helpful to a fault sometimes, always going above and beyond what anyone would expect from her. She lived her life guided by the ongoing goal to take care of others, whether they were family, friends, or friends-to-be that she just met. That genuine love of people and humble service-oriented approach to the people around her was a truly beautiful thing to watch and learn from.

Karen loved singing from a young age, and sang competitively as a soprano in high school, placing second in the state of Texas in her category. She sang in church, and also had a passion for karaoke, sharing her beautiful voice every week at her son Michael’s karaoke show. She was playful, unafraid to be silly and was unapologetically loving, offering hugs to everyone who wanted a hug, making human connections with people who sometimes may not have had anyone else to hug them and tell them they were loved.

Many more people know Karen as “Mom” than as “Karen” or “Kasey”, which was her nickname she kept from decades earlier. She was a beacon of love and class, quietly setting an example for others to follow regarding how to treat others. As the “Mom” of karaoke in a tourist town, she was loved and admired by countless people of all ages from around the United States and the world who visited Florida. There are hundreds of stories of humor, love, inspiration, and wisdom imparted by “Mom” to those lucky enough to meet her on her life journey. She interacted with most everyone at every karaoke show, encouraging them to share their own talents, and outside of karaoke she had that same genuine kindness and positively impacted countless lives in ways she never would have imagined, just by investing in the people around her.

She was truly an angel on Earth, and loved singing “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. In the rare instances where she could not be at the weekly karaoke show, multiple people asked after her and some even said she was the reason they came to karaoke. That is no surprise, as she brought so much simple joy to the experience, just by being herself, entertaining with her sweet singing voice, and seeing the best in every person.

She is survived by her three loving children, Michael Chowning (and husband Michael Collisi), Alisha Newton (Donnie Newton), and Doug Perry (Emily Appelhaus); three beautiful grandchildren, Michael Newton, Malcolm Newton, and Elizabeth Grace Perry; three loving sisters, Kim Frederick (Francis Frederick), Liz Sarna (Mike Sarna), and Megan Sanchez (Rafael Sanchez); and multiple nieces and nephews, including Howie Howeth, Stephanie Howeth, Lucy Sarna, Max Sarna, Brooklyn Sanchez, and Isabelle Sanchez, Dale Perry, Marty Perry, Jamie Graves, and Steve Graves; and countless others who considered Karen a second Mom or favorite aunt in their lives.

She is preceded in death by her grandmother, (Mary Van Loon), her mother, (Mary Jo Morgan Richards), her father (James William Stout), and multiple great aunts, great uncles, and cousins.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, May 17th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at Serenity Gardens, 13401 Indian Rocks Road, Largo, Florida, 33774.

Flowers can be sent to the above address in Karen’s name, or as an option to flowers, donations may be made in Karen’s name to one of the causes she supported in life: The ASPCA or the Wounded Warriors Project, the American Red Cross, or the American Heart Association.