Karen Meredith Hart

She was born in Bloomington, IL to the late Russell B. Meyers and Jennie Gertrude Barlow. Karen graduated from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL with a BA in Chemistry in 1958. While at college, she met David Hart, who became the love of her life. Karen and David were married on August 10, 1958 on her parent’s farm in Springfield, IL next to the cornfield, the start of a love that endured for over 65 years.

In 1964, they moved to Oklahoma City with their two sons, Eric and Keith. Karen started working at Oklahoma City University as a Biology and Chemistry lab technician, a career she maintained for over 20 years. Her real passion, however, was managing her own farm in Illinois and her ranch in Colorado as well as teaching her family how to love and respect the land.

While she and David loved to travel, they were happiest at their Colorado ranch where she was able to plant in her gardens, pick fruit from the orchards, make homemade jam, and enjoy beautiful sunsets with the lovely hummingbirds all while sitting on the porch with a glass of wine.

Karen is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Jeaneen Braner (Byron) and her niece Angie Braner. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, David, two sons Eric (Jeanne) and Keith (Cherie), 4 grandchildren, Ryan, Jessica, Kaitlyn (Richard Harris), and Courtney (Caleb Shafer), and 4 great grandchildren, Piper and Wesley (Kaitlyn and Richard) and Theodore and Sabrina (Courtney and Caleb). Karen also had 10 nieces and 3 nephews and many, many great nieces and nephews.

She will live on forever in the hearts of her beloved husband David, her sons Eric and Keith and their families.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Thestrokefoundation.org or americanstroke.org.

Funeral Services in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, March 16, 2024 in the Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper Funeral Chapel, 6600 Broadway Extension, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73116. Karen will be laid to rest at the family cemetery in Franklin, Illinois.