(From Lockwood Funeral Chapel)Karen Murray (whose middle name is omitted because she didn’t like it) was born on February 12, 1943 to her doting parents, Troy and Anna. They raised Karen and her older sister on a farm in rural Ash Grove.
After graduating as high school valedictorian, Karen received her degree in education from Missouri State University (formerly SMSU). She married John Whitesell and taught 5th and 6th grade until she and John bought land and moved to rural Lockwood to expand a farm that Troy had been clearing.
They started their family with daughter, Dana, and worked together expanding their farm and raising cattle. Looking for a creative outlet, after her second child, Angie, was born, she enrolled in stained glass lessons at the Springfield YMCA. Adam was born last and Karen raised her children as a stay-at-home farm wife, frequently with her kids with her in a cabbed tractor with their sleepy heads banging on the glass windows.
As her kids grew, she became an active member of the Lockwood community. Among many projects, she organized a community New Year’s Eve dance at the high school to help keep kids safe, created crafts for the United Methodist church bazaar, hosted huge Easter celebrations at the creek (where she would invent elaborate and difficult scavenger hunts), and helped raise funds for the Lockwood American Legion Hall by selling engraved bricks.
As a strong supporter of 4H and FFA, she also served as a 4H project leader. She enjoyed her involvement with the Lockwood Business and Professional Women and was honored to be selected by that group as “Woman of the Year.” After she and John divorced, she went back to college and got a second degree from MSU in communications & mass media, while caring for her beloved aging “momma and daddy,” who by then had moved to Lockwood.
Karen grew up watching the women in her family create beautiful paintings and quilts, so it was not surprising that she, too, became an artist and supported all types of art. She created stained glass for more than 40 years, and many people commissioned her to add windows and pieces to beautify their homes. She was honored to design and build the stained glass window over the altar at the Lockwood Christian Church. Karen loved to snow ski and travel, and went on many adventures. She dated some, but ultimately enjoyed her independence. During a trip to South America, she developed a passion for the Argentine Tango. She bought and renovated a building on the Mt. Vernon square, where she opened a stained glass studio and taught lessons. Above her studio she renovated a ballroom, “Murray’s Vintage Venue,” where she could host events, receptions, and the yearly Tango festival that she organized and named “Meet in the Middle.” When her adult children all moved back to the farm, she returned to Lockwood and designed and built a home there. She filled it with art and ice cream for the grandkids she loved to spoil. She enjoyed hosting her pinochle club and cheering for her grandkids at school and sporting events (volleyball was her favorite).
Karen grew up watching the women in her family create beautiful paintings and quilts, so it was not surprising that she, too, became an artist and supported all types of art. She created stained glass for more than 40 years, and many people commissioned her to add windows and pieces to beautify their homes. She was honored to design and build the stained glass window over the altar at the Lockwood Christian Church. Karen loved to snow ski and travel, and went on many adventures. She dated some, but ultimately enjoyed her independence. During a trip to South America, she developed a passion for the Argentine Tango. She bought and renovated a building on the Mt. Vernon square, where she opened a stained glass studio and taught lessons. Above her studio she renovated a ballroom, “Murray’s Vintage Venue,” where she could host events, receptions, and the yearly Tango festival that she organized and named “Meet in the Middle.” When her adult children all moved back to the farm, she returned to Lockwood and designed and built a home there. She filled it with art and ice cream for the grandkids she loved to spoil. She enjoyed hosting her pinochle club and cheering for her grandkids at school and sporting events (volleyball was her favorite).
Karen is survived by her sister, Donna Mulkey, as well as her children Dana Chambers, Dr. Angie Whitesell Vukcevich and Adam Whitesell. She absolutely adored her daughter-in-law (Dr. Bethany Whitesell), sons-in-law (Jerry Chambers and Joseph Vukcevich), and her ex-sons in law (Tom Sowell and Jeremy Neely). Karen’s grandchildren made her happy and very proud. Chloe Hresko (and husband Matt and baby Everett) and Noah Sowell (and fiancée Lawson); Brent Chambers (and wife Maggie); Owen, Miles, Annie, and Ike Neely; and Reese and Dexter Whitesell miss their Grandma Karen and cherish the memories she created for them.
Karen developed Parkinson’s disease and dementia and lived her last few years under the loving care of the staff and nurses of the Good Shepherd Nursing Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Good Shepherd Nursing Home, the Lockwood Band (as Karen loved to listen to the kids play) or Ozarks Public Television (as she was an avid supporter of Sesame Street for kids and loved to watch The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross). Per her request, a private graveside burial will be held at the Davidson Cemetery overlooking Adam’s alfalfa field.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Greenfield Funeral Chapel, 61 N. Allison Ave., Greenfield, MO 65661. Online condolences may be shared at www.greenfieldfuneralchapel.com. Services are under the care of Lockwood Funeral Chapel.
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