Karen P. Reshel, age 82, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2020. She is survived and mourned by her loving family: her husband of 61 years, Allen Lee Reshel; her children, Alice, Michael, and Susan; grandchildren Sarah, Jennifer, Kaiya and Ian; and great-grandchildren Zachariah and Catherine.
Although she wanted to be a traditional homemaker, necessity drove Karen to take a job to help make ends meet for her family. As the years went on, however, the job turned into an illustrious Civil Service career that spanned more than thirty years. She retired in 1994.
Karen was known for her quiet, gentle nature, sense of humor, and voracious reading habit – mysteries and romance novels cluttered every surface in the house. She loved show tunes and traveling to exotic locales. She never turned down a sweet treat! She was a multi-talented artist, sketching and painting and making exquisite Christmas gift wrappings. While living in Germany one of those Christmases, Karen painted a trumpeting Angel Gabriel on the big picture window in the living room; another year, it was a triptych of the Nativity in bright, primary colors. Both pieces drew admirers from all around the region. She was also a skilled seamstress, creating masterpieces with cloth—gorgeous dresses for her daughters’ dances; Halloween costumes from scratch, no pattern; and detailed, lavish designs for the local community theaters. Not only that, she had a sweet, ethereal singing voice, alto, and sang in church choirs (her solo rendition of “Ave Maria” still haunts those who were lucky enough to hear her perform it) and groups like the Brevard Community Chorale.
But even with all that talent, Karen’s greatest joy and proudest accomplishment was her family – who, though devastated at her loss, still possess some of her art and will celebrate her for the rest of their lives.
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