Karen Jeanne McCormick Gingrich

Karen is survived by her son Christopher of Houston, Texas, his wife Amy, and their three children, Katie, Hannah, and Alaina; her son Michael of St. Louis, Missouri, his wife Desta, and their two children Adela and Sloan; her daughter Megan of Austin, Texas and her partner Arianne. She is also survived by her siblings Eileen and her husband Tim of Boulder, Colorado; Janet and her husband Dale, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; and her brother Jack and his wife Elizabeth, of Houston, Texas.

She is preceded in death by her mother Ethel Rita Johnston McCormick of Ozone Park, New York and by her father John Walter McCormick of Ozone Park, New York.

Karen was born on June 10th, 1948 in Queens, New York. As a teenager, Karen, like most of her friends, was a Beatles fanatic. During her formative years, she was known to disappear for a concert when John, Paul, Ringo, and George came to New York - even dragging her younger siblings to Kennedy Airport in February of 1964 to greet them at the height of “Beatlemania.” At the age of 20, she graduated early from Molloy College in Rockville Center, New York with a degree in English. This was just in time to make the big move to Texas with her family in July of 1970. She then accepted a position at Texas Commerce Bank, where she worked until she became a full time mother to Chris, Mike, and Megan. Later in life, Karen attended Our Lady of the Lake University and obtained her Masters degree in Social Work.

Karen was highly dedicated to her parents and siblings and was a loving and affectionate mother. She married John Daniel Gingrich in 1974 and the couple had three beautiful children together. Later in life, she was a long-time companion to her mother, Ethel, in her mom’s later years, providing each other with a companion to go to the Pasta House or Bennigan’s on any given night. She was also a common spectator at all of her children’s sporting events, where her children somehow avoided her lack of athleticism and excelled for her enjoyment.

Karen was a social, kind, and spiritual woman who was deeply involved in the St. James Catholic Church community, first, as a religious education teacher, and later as a member of the church choir. Although she was sometimes off a note, she was a regular on Sundays in the choir and always stayed a good hour after mass to the detriment of her children’s desire to have lunch.

Although Karen battled mental illness most of her life, beneath all of those struggles, she was ever the comedian and had one of the biggest hearts we know. Karen loved to laugh, enjoyed a good comedy, and traveled to visit her children in the various places they lived; from her hometown of New York City, to Boston, and the shores of Hawaii, among others. Karen eventually settled down in Texas for her final year. She spent much of her time during retirement making lovely charms, bracelets and necklaces for her five granddaughters. Karen never complained about having only granddaughters. She frequently commented “raising twin boys was enough excitement” for her, and girls from then on out were just fine. Karen also had the opportunity to have frequent visits from Megan in her final months. She often met Megan outside in her residence’s courtyard, and Arianne would complement her on the “twinkle” she always had in her light blue eyes when she saw her children. She had a very special and final visit with her three children together just days before she passed and she still had that charming “twinkle” in her eyes.

A funeral is scheduled for February 22, 2021 at 10:00 am at St. James Catholic Church in Spring, Texas, followed by a reception. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Karen’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for any donations in Karen’s name to support mental illness at the following location:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/karen-gingrich-memorial-in-lieu-of-flowers?qid=3c7825f869839ebcdef5c6f42f3b98df