Karen Eileen Rinicker's Obituary
Karen Eileen Rinicker
Karen Eileen Rinicker age 72, passed on peacefully on April 9th at 1:20 a.m. at Good Shepard Medical Center, surrounded by those she loved.
Born on April 30th, 1943 in St. Louis, MO to Thelma Schmidt, she excelled in school and went on to get her business certificate and worked as a bookkeeper until her retirement.
Karen had three children before settling down in Longview with the love of her life, Douglas Rinicker. They shared 26 beautiful years spoiling and loving one another. We ask for prayers for Doug as he grieves the sudden loss of his angel.
The memories of my grandma are plentiful and sweet. I remember many of the things we did and most of the things she taught me. The cookies we baked in the summertime and the movies we watched, if only for the thousandth time. She was a little girl’s best friend and a daughter’s gentle guide and brightest light. Karen was the best cook in ALL of Texas. But most importantly I remember the gentle and sometimes hard truths that she taught all of us. My grandma taught us all how to love… with every morsel and every ounce of our being. Exactly the way she did. She taught us how to follow Jesus in the way she lived and carried herself every day. Through watching her, we learned how to truly be a friend, to be kind even when we just didn’t feel like it. We learned how to suck it up and get on with the day, because we watched her do it every day. We will miss her every day that she is gone, until we finally see her again.
Karen met her mother and her stepfather Thelma and Joseph Sprung, her aunt Maryanne Vaughn, and a cousin Tina Vaughn-Gardner in heaven and we would love to have seen the party they had when she walked through those gates.
Karen is survived by her loving husband Douglas. A son, Rob Bailey, his wife, Mandy and their two children Hunter and Gracie. A daughter, Pam Johns, her husband Ralph, and their four children, Justin Johns and daughter Savannah, James Scarcella and children Makayla and Ethan, Justin Scarcella, Jennifer Provost and her husband, Paul and their two sons Alexavier and Benaiah. A daughter Kelly Ector, her husband Andrew and their children Tyler, April, Jayden and Tavian.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at the United Pentecostal Church of Longview. Burial will follow in Rosewood Park under the direction of Rader Funeral Home of Longview. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday prior to the service at the church.
In lieu the family asks for donations to her final expense and medical bills which can be directed to the Rader Funeral Home.
What’s your fondest memory of Karen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Karen?
Share a story where Karen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Karen you’ll never forget.
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