Funeral Services for Karen Richardson, 63, Arapaho resident, will be held 10:00 A.M., Friday, July 3, 2020, in the Clinton First Baptist Church, officiated by Jason Duckworth. Burial will conclude in the Butler Cemetery under the direction of the Kiesau-Lee Funeral Home.
Karen Lynn (Carpenter) Richardson was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, on June 29, 1957, to Don and Mona (Dunn) Carpenter and passed peacefully into Heaven Tuesday June 30, 2020, surrounded with family in Arapaho after a short battle with cancer.
Karen graduated from Arapaho High School in 1975 and began her family shortly after when she married Steve Richardson of Clinton. They moved back to the country in Arapaho and raised four children: Isaac Donald, Stephanie Lynn, Adam Steven, and Natalie Michelle.
In addition to her role as a wife and mother, Karen was involved in numerous professional roles throughout her life. In 2005, she moved to the Oklahoma Veteran’s Center in Clinton, where she served in Human Resources and enjoyed taking care of over 200 employees until her death.
4-H was a big focus for Karen during her own childhood and into adulthood. As a volunteer 4-H leader, she enjoyed having a hand in helping kids learn to work together and to focus on the big picture instead of just them. 4-H also served an important role in her life as it connected her with her long-time boyfriend, Ron Wright.
Of all of the roles she ever had, she always felt her most important job was raising her children and helping with her seven grandkids.
Karen was welcomed into Heaven by her father, Donald Carpenter; paternal grandparents, Howard and Jewell Carpenter; maternal grandparents, Leon and Hazel Dunn; brother-in-law, Dennis Findley, and cousin, Pam Cabaniss.
She is survived by her four children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren, including: son Isaac Richardson, wife Mandy, and children – Reece, Quade, and Emory – of Arapaho; daughter Stephanie Swanson, husband Ben, and children – Soren and Eva – currently of Gaborone, Botswana with the U.S. State Department; son Adam Richardson, wife Heather, and sons – Carter and Silas – of Arapaho; and, daughter, Natalie Richardson of Arapaho – soon-to-be resident of Ada, Oklahoma. She is also survived by her long-time boyfriend, Ronald Wright of Butler, his children – Mandy and Roger Fuller and Jeremy Wright – and their children: Morgandee, Merritt, and Kirsten; the father of her children, Steve Richardson of Yukon; mother Mona Carpenter of Arapaho, and her three siblings: sister Gwen Robinson and husband, Mike, of Clinton; sister Kathy Wall and husband, Dan, of Edmond; and, brother Terry Carpenter and wife, Sha, of Arapaho, as well as many, many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made “In Memory of Karen Richardson” (please notate under ‘Additional Information’) to the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation at oklahoma4hfoundation.com/donate, to support a future scholarship.