Obituary of Karen Wheeler

WHEELER – Karen Magley, passed away Monday, July 18, 2011, after a four-year fight with breast cancer. Her family was by her side. Survived by parents, Patricia and Robert; son, Samuel; siblings, Scott, Ellen and Stephen; and nieces and nephews, Doug, Jenelle, Mackenzie, Max, Micah, Marcus, Andrew, Benjamin, Jacob, Nathan, Zoe, Aiden, Kayt and Anne. Also survived by dozens of dear friends, family members and loved ones, and hundreds of students who learned and grew under her care during her 30-year career in the Central Cambria School District. Karen’s greatest joy in life came from the people she loved, from her family and her friends. Karen was a fixture in the lives of those she loved, whether she was cheering loudly at sporting events and concerts, picking the perfect Christmas presents, sewing her signature blankets that her nieces and nephews carried with them into adulthood, or simply offering a hug, a reassuring reminder that they were special and that they were loved. A celebration of Karen’s life will be held at noon Saturday, July 23, at Ebensburg Presbyterian Church. Friends will be received prior to the service, beginning at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to commemorate Karen’s life are asked to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the hope that other mothers, daughters and sisters can be spared the hardship that Karen endured for the past four years of her life. The family is being served by Jean H. Kinley Funeral Home, Portage.