Karen Spracklen, age 71, of Morral, Ohio, passed away on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at her residence, surrounded by loving family. She was born in Marion, Ohio, on March 9, 1945 to the late Harley Clyde and Rachel (McDougal) Sherman.
Karen mainly grew up around the Marion area and graduated from Elgin High School. She was a member of the band as a majorette twirling the baton and fire baton. She lived in several different states and in Germany.
She married Danny DeHaven in July of 1965, and they had four wonderful children: Shannon, Allison, Aaron, and Megan. In February of 1988, she married Daniel Spracklen, and together, they had one more wonderful child, Sara. She was married to Daniel for almost 29 years. She may not have always agreed with her kids, but she was always very proud of them.
Karen is survived by her husband Dan; her five children Shannon DeHaven, Allison (David) Allman, Aaron (Katina) DeHaven, Megan DeHaven, and Sara (Mark) Tuttle. Beyond the five kids, she had eight grandkids and three great-grandkids.
She was preceded in death by her sister Sandy, and she is survived by her sisters Mary Price and Bonnie Cooper, as well as many nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved very much. She is also survived by her brothers- and sisters-in-law, a father-in-law, and her dear friends Katie Holcomb and Evelyn Lowry.
She was a homemaker who loved to sew and loved making quilts. Karen had a great and abiding love of animals. She had a great love of art and Southwest design. She had a keen sense of fashion. She loved music and to dance. She was very fond of strong, unique women and adopted them where she found them.
In 2010, she and her husband took a trip out west and visited the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, the Oregon coast, and Redwood National Park. It was the trip of a lifetime and crossed a few places off of her bucket list.
Over the years, she did many jobs, including working for the USO, dispatching for an ambulance service, waitressing, cleaning, and childcare. Two of the kids she watched the longest and cared for were Grace and Spencer. She loved them like her own.
She was a famous carrot cake baker for the guys at the fire department. Any time they wanted a carrot cake, they wouldn’t even ask her husband. They would just call her up and ask. She would make them one as soon as she could, many times in the same day. The guys were able to pay her back recently by building a wheelchair ramp at the house.
She was very particular about her teeth. She loved her hygienist Julie like a daughter and made sure the kids and grandkids got a toothbrush in their stockings every Christmas.
When you set sail and the wind is fair, think of her and laugh and sing and live and love and remember.
In lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor Karen and donate, the family asks that you contribute to either the National Pancreas Foundation at www.pancreasfoundation.org/take-action/donate-to-npf or to the Central Ohio Diabetes Association at www.diabetesohio.org. Both organizations are very near and dear to the family.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 3 PM at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 930 Harding Memorial Pkwy., Marion, Ohio, 43302.
Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.boydbornfuneralhome.com.
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