Karen Eddy

It is with joy that we celebrate the life of Karen Eddy, born in Buffalo, NY, on November 13, 1937 to Chester and Georgia Bates. Karen enjoyed a rich, full life as partner and wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, friend, and champion for improving the quality of life for those in need. She was a caring, giving person who never ran out of time or energy for others.

Karen met the love of her life, Stuart (Stu) Eddy, on Grand Island, NY, and the two were married on August 18, 1962. They lived in western New York and Pennsylvania, then moved to Portage, Michigan, where they raised their family and contributed to their community.

Over the years, Karen's calling to be of service to others kept her reaching out. That calling spanned more than four decades and touched many in the greater Kalamazoo area. She worked as a hospital nurse, a clinical instructor, a hospice nurse with Hospice of Southwest Michigan, and an educator with the Calhoun Intermediate School District. As a volunteer, she was active with numerous church and community organizations, including Meals on Wheels, local clean-up projects, work-camps in other communities, helping at Kalamazoo's old Breadbox restaurant, and serving meals at Ministry with Community. She served as a board member at the YWCA and the Kalamazoo Drop-in Child Care Center, facilitated support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS, helped establish the Kalamazoo chapter of PFLAG (Parents Family & Friends of Lesbians & Gays), and was part of the group that established Phoenix Community Church. Later, she and Stu traveled the country on long road trips and she was a welcome and regular presence in her grandchildren's lives. They eventually moved to downtown Kalamazoo, where she registered voters through the League of Women Voters and supported events hosted by the Ladies Library Association. Karen always strove to help and found many ways to do so. She also enjoyed social and cultural activities, including local theater performances, programs at Western Michigan University, and Kalamazoo Symphony concerts. Sadly, in her last years, she struggled with the many challenges of dementia.

On April 4, 2026, at the age of 88, Karen passed away surrounded by family. She is survived by Stu, her loving and caring husband of 63 years, four children and two grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at the Portage United Church of Christ, 2731 W. Milham Ave, Portage, MI 49024 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers the family kindly requests donations to: Kalamazoo Ministry with Community (https://ministrywithcommunity.org/makeadonation), the Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center (https://kdccc.org/donate-2/), or the Portage United Church of Christ (https://portageucc.org/).