Karen Jean Wilson (nee Schoen), 85, went to be home with her Jesus on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
Karen was born to Arno and Erna Schoen in Milwaukee, August 23, 1939.
She graduated from Rufus King High School in 1957.
She was united in marriage to Richard Wilson, July 11, 1959, in Milwaukee, and they were married 49 years before his passing on Memorial Day, 2008.
Karen and Richard lived in four cities around the state until they settled in Brookfield, for 12 years. In 1977 they moved to Mayville, where they purchased Service Printing and lived there for nearly 30 years. They retired to Maranatha Village in Springfield, MO, in 2006. In 2000 they began spending their summers volunteering at their beloved Green Lake Conference Center, in Green Lake, and living in their “camper”. After Richard’s passing, Karen continued to volunteer every summer through 2018.
Karen accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior when she was in her 30s. She was very active in church, Bible studies and Women’s Aglow. Over the years, among other things, in Wisconsin she volunteered at Special Touch camps for people with disabilities and visited women prisoners for Bible studies. In Springfield, she volunteered at Healthcare Ministries. Most recently, Karen volunteered for Global University Prison Ministries right up to just weeks before her move to heaven. Every week she graded courses completed by prisoners. For every course, she wrote encouraging notes and a Scripture verse and prayed for each person. Karen did this for 15 years for about 4,000 prisoners.
Karen was the best mom in the world to Jeff (Joy) Wilson of Fox Lake, Jean (Dave) Lawson of Fair Grove, MO, and Jay (Jamie) Wilson of Mills River, NC. She was the dearest grandma to nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She is survived by her sisters, Shirley Napgezek, Marilyn (Ray) Hoffmann; sister-in-law, Lois Leeson; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation was held on Saturday. Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. followed by a service at 11 a.m. at Praise Assembly Church, Springfield, MO, with interment immediately following at Green Lawn Memorial Gardens, Springfield, MO.
In remembrance of Karen’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made in her name to Green Lake Conference Center, Green Lake, WI (https://glcc.org/), or Global University Prison Ministry, Springfield, MO (https://globaluniversity.edu/).
