Karen was born and raised in central Illinois, attending Pleasant Plains Elementary School and Sacred Heart Academy. She met her life partner in 1967, and they continued their life journey together for the next 55 years, with stops in Iowa City and Midlothian before returning to Springfield in 1976.
Karen was a filial child and caring sibling. She was an unfaltering wife and proud mother. She was a devout Catholic, filled with faith from Baptism until Last Rites. She was selfless, sacrificing, stubborn, and safe. Most of all, she was an educator. She received her Bachelors of Art degree in Education from the University of Iowa and taught for 40+ years. She was especially proud of her combined 35+ years as a Catholic elementary school teacher at Blessed Sacrament, St. Aloysius, and Christ the King.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Maurice and Jane (Comegys) Kepner.
Her legacy will be continued by her surviving family, her husband, Francis of Springfield; four children, Karie (Franco) Valentino of Chicago, Laura (Aaron) Droege of South Carolina, Michael (Ashley) Giganti of Lombard, and Mark (Noelle) Giganti of New Jersey; five siblings, Carol, Bonnie, Maureen, Mary Jane, and Daniel; six grandchildren, Elyse, Nicolo, Owen, Isabella, Elodie, and Amelia; as well as the hundreds of her former students.
A visitation will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at Butler Funeral Home-Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield, IL 62703.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Sacred Heart Church, 722 S. 12th St., Springfield, IL 62703.
A private family burial will take place at a later date.
Finally, to any former students reading this, please know that Mrs. Giganti felt divinely blessed for the opportunity to be your teacher. Also, it's okay if you no longer recall all 50 state capitals or anything that you learned at New Salem other than that they churned their own butter.
Memorial Contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Please visit www.butlerspringfield.com to offer condolences.
