Karen Lynn Richardson

Funeral Services for Karen Richardson, 63, Arapaho resident will be held 10:00 A.M, Friday, July 3, 2020 in the 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 on June 30, 2020 surrounded with family in Arapaho after a short battle with cancer. After her birth, Karen’s family soon moved to the farm in Arapaho where siblings Gwen, Kathy, & Terry were added to the family. Raised as a “farm kid,” she was expected to help with the chores – from feeding cattle, cleaning out pig pens, or helping out with housework and cooking. Before her death, she recalled childhood memories of helping in the cotton fields. She said, “Chopping cotton was not so bad because we would be in the cotton field with Mom and Grandma Jewell until noon, then us kids would go home for lunch with Grandma and swim in the concrete tank while Grandma read the paper and rested. Then, it was back to the field for us all.” Karen graduated from Arapaho High School in 1975 and attended 1 year of college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Although life led in a different direction after that 1 year, she never gave up on her longtime goal – just as she always encouraged in others, and in 2013, she was able to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from SWOSU and walked across the stage the same day as her son, Adam, as he received his Master’s degree. Karen always valued family and took pride in her role as a mother. Her own family began in 1975 when she married Steve Richardson of Clinton. They moved back to the country in Arapaho and raised four children: Isaac Donald, born in 1979; Stephanie Lynn, born in 1983; Adam Steven, born in 1988; and Natalie Michelle, born in 1991. In addition to her role as a wife and mother, Karen was involved in numerous professional roles throughout her life. Early in adulthood, she worked in the Senior Department at Blunck’s Studios for two years while Steve ran the family carpet store. She later served as legal secretary for CB Graft at Graft and Cabaniss for 10 years. She then worked in the family businesses of Richardson’s House of Carpet and Hoffman Furniture until those businesses were closed, where she then transitioned to Office Manager and Insurance Agent at Custer County Farm Bureau. For 7 years, she served as office manager at the Custer County OSU Extension Office – she loved working with the 4-H kiddos and activities, as well as working with the local farmers. 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. 4-H was a big focus for Karen as she felt so much joy serving others. Active during her own childhood and into adulthood, she served in various volunteer roles at the local, district, and state levels. Horse showing and judging was a special interest of Isaac’s and Stephanie’s from a young age, and Karen helped form and lead the Custer County 4-H Horse Club for many years. Up until her death, she had been serving on the State and Southwest District 4-H Horse Councils for year and had managed the offices of both the State and Southwest District 4-H Horse Shows. 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 themselves. This was no different for her own children. All four of them were named State 4-H Project Scholarship Winners in their chosen project areas, as well as received many other 4-H and leadership honors. Her volunteer hours were recognized by being named Oklahoma State Outstanding 4-H Alumni in 2013 and was named the Pam Cabaniss Outstanding 4-H Leader in 2018 – in honor of her cousin and friend (who I’m sure she is visiting and reconnecting with right now in Heaven). She also served many years on the Clinton Christmas Connection Board of Directors, incorporating many volunteer 4-H members into the community project. 4-H also served an important role in her life as it connected her with her long-time boyfriend, Ron. Of all of the roles she ever had, she always felt her most important job was raising her 4 children and helping with the grandkids. She couldn’t be prouder of the successes the kids have had in both school and business, and she was always so thankful for the Godly spouses for her kids who were always a part of their beautiful family. Her most cherished role was serving as “Grewa” to seven amazing grandbabies whom she loved to spend time until her final day. Her wanted her babies to know: “Grewa loves you and will always be with you and watching over you from above.” Karen was welcomed into Heaven by her father, Donald Carpenter; paternal grandparents, Howard & Jewell Carpenter; maternal grandparents, Leon & 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 (https://oklahoma4hfoundation.com/donate) to support a future scholarship. Registry for Karen Lynn Richardson