Karen D. Standley

She was born May 17, 1960, in Belvidere to Stanley and Berniece (Pierce) Busse. On Sept. 8, 1984, she married the love of her life, Thomas Standley, in Marengo.

Karen’s life was filled with family and friends who loved her very deeply. She lived life to the fullest by embracing everyone’s joys as if they were her own.

She was lucky enough to spend 26 happy years married to her soul mate. The love between Karen and her late husband, Tom, was obvious even to a stranger.

She often brightened up her home with her favorite flower, bird of paradise, and she loved watching the squirrels, birds and “chippies” outside her kitchen window.

Her fight against cancer was incredibly brave, and she never let it get in the way of sharing love and laughter with everyone in her life.

She is loved very much.

She is survived by her father, Stanley; her brother, Dan (Beth) Busse; her nephews, David, Joey and Michael; her aunts, Cathy Busse and Evelyn (the late Don) Koplin; and many, many close family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas; her mother, Berniece Busse; and her brother, Darrell Busse.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, at Zion Lutheran Church, 412 Jackson St., Marengo. Visitation will continue from 10 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the church. The service will be at 11 a.m.

Interment will be at Marengo City Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to JourneyCare Hospice, 405 Lake Zurich Rd., Barrington, IL 60010, or to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718, or to Zion Lutheran Church.

Arrangements entrusted to Marengo-Union Funeral Home. For information, call the funeral home at 815-568-8131. Online condolences may be made at www.marengo-unionfuneralhome.com.