Karen was born in Clarksville, Tennessee on June 8, 1944, while her father was stationed there in the Army.

In 1975, she met James McAleece, and the couple married in 1977. They made their home and raised their family in North Fork, California where they lived for nearly 50 years. Karen and James had three sons: Justin, Andrew, and Ian. She was a devoted mother. Andrew passed away at a young age. She is survived by her sons Justin and Ian and their spouses Cortiny and Christina. She has two grandchildren, Elliana & Landon, whom she loved deeply. Karen is also survived by her siblings, Rick, Jeff, Anna & John.

Karen was a Catholic nun in the 60s and found a love for teaching. In the 80s, she returned to teaching and later received her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. All told, she was a teacher for nearly 30 years. She taught at elementary and intermediate schools, mainly in Oakhurst, CA.

One of Karen's favorite things to do was dancing with James and their many, many friends; learning line dancing steps and having a blast. Karen was a voracious reader. She was fascinated to learn all she could in many areas of study and received her Doctorate in 1998.

Karen's spiritual journey was profoundly important to her. She grew up Catholic, later became a Baha'i, and in recent years found her true home in the Greek Orthodox faith at St. George. She loved the teachings, traditions, and the beauty of the rituals there. She participated in every service and ceremony she could, truly embracing the life of the Church & Christ. Karen was a person that treasured fellowship, community, and the people there at St. George and elsewhere, and she was deeply loved in return. She was a kind, loving, and virtuous person, and she will be
missed.