- Date Of Birth: May 15, 1961
- Date Of Death: August 25, 2007
- State: Illinois
Kari Jo (Turner) Shipley, 46, of 14 Chestnut St., Galesburg, passed away August 25, 2007 at her home. With Kari at the time of her passing were her good friend, Renette Johnson and her niece, Becky Turner. Kari considered Becky to be her daughter.
Kari was born on May 15, 1961, to William “Bill” and Sharon Sopher Turner. She grew up in the Oneida area in her early years. She then moved to Galesburg, where she spent most of the remainder of her life.
Kari graduated from Galesburg High School. She went on to attend Carl Sandburg College where she received her Associate of Science and Associate of Art degrees.
Kari worked all her life. Some of her jobs included LaGondola and Galesburg Mental Health Center, but most of her working years were spent at Maytag. With the closure of the plant, she moved to John Deere in East Moline. She spent almost 20 years in the factories.
Kari was married to Bryan Shipley on July 31, 1981. Bryan was in the army. The couple lived in South Carolina, where Bryan died on January 31, 1982. Kari was diagnosed with cancer in July, 1982. She battled the disease over 25 years of her life.
Kari had a special relationship with almost everyone she cared about. She was known as “Aunt Kari” by many, many children. It didn’t matter if they were related to her; she was still “Aunt Kari.” She was known by her friends as “Kari Jo” or just “Kari.”
Kari is survived by her father, Bill Turner, of Oneida, and his wife, Debbie. Her mother’s twin sister, Karen Raymond of Galesburg, also survives, as does her grandmother, Trella Sopher of Knoxville. Kari has a brother with whom she shared a close relationship, Tom Turner, and a “sister-in-law,” Dianna Marthers, of Peoria. Kari raised her niece, Rebecca Turner of Galesburg, and her two nephews, Michael Turner of Colorado and Marcus Turner of Galesburg. They are the children of her brother, Rodney Turner, of Des Moines, Iowa. She considered Becky, Mike, and Marc to be her children; they called her Mom. Kari is also survived by a person she considered to be her step-daughter, Tiffany (and Rakesh) Thakkar of Lake in the Hills, Illinois. Their son, Ravi, called her Nana; he is her grandson.
Kari is survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. She had many close friendships. She never knew a stranger. She was always helping someone and doing good deeds for others.
Kari was preceded in death by her mother and her husband.
Kari loved life; she lived each day fully. She enjoyed traveling, road trips, live concerts, dancing, talking on the phone, flea markets, bargain shopping and just being with her friends and family. She was an avid reader, always with a book nearby. She loved her flower gardens and spent hours with her hands in the dirt. She loved children of all ages. She was always surrounding herself with the people she loved. She tried not to dwell on her problems in life, always putting them in God’s hands.
