Karen Christian, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, peacefully departed this life on January 15, 2026, just a few months shy of her 80th birthday, in Dalton, Georgia.

Karen Francis Steinmetz Christian was born on April 8, 1946, in Toledo, Ohio. After graduating from Waite High School in Toledo in 1964, she went on to nursing school at Maumee Valley School of Nursing, graduating with her R.N. in 1967. Over the years, she worked as a floor nurse at Toledo Hospital and later at Baptist Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. She also worked as a pediatric nurse and later as a home health care nurse in Columbia, South Carolina. Karen especially loved working with new mothers and babies, and for a time even had her own business as a post-partum lactation consultant. Many new mothers turned to her for advice and comfort over the years, and she was known both professionally and personally as a "baby-whisperer" for her almost magical touch with newborns.

Karen's lifelong love of the nursing profession was superseded only by her love for her family. On August 12, 1967, she married her husband, Larry Christian, in Toledo, Ohio, after meeting him on blind date the year before. She enjoyed humorously recounting how, after meeting him for the first time, she told her girlfriends in nurses' training that "he was nice enough, but I'm not going to marry the guy." Fortunately for Larry, Karen's favorite dog, Buddy, approved of him and she was willing to tie the knot. In January 1969, her daughter, Bethany, was born, followed by her son, Matthew, in February 1971. In 1977, the family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she continued to work as a nurse in various capacities until her health required her to retire. Karen and Larry loved Columbia and made many friends through their church, all of whom she greatly missed when circumstances required they move in with her loving son and daughter-in-law in Dalton, Georgia.

In 1976, Karen made what she considered her most important decision in life outside of her marriage and family—a profession of faith in Christ. She shared her love of Jesus with family and many friends over the years and enjoyed spending time in both personal and group Bible study and prayer. Over the years as her health continued to decline, she was greatly comforted by knowing that she would someday be with her Heavenly Father, in no more pain.

Throughout her life, Karen loved animals of all kinds, and took in countless stray cats and dogs, all of whom lived long, healthy lives thanks to her loving care and ministrations. She loved children, especially her beloved grandchildren, music, and anything British, especially Downton Abbey and various series on Masterpiece Theater and the BBC. She always said she wanted to travel to Great Britain had her health permitted it. In her later years, she became interested in pursuing her family history and spent a great deal of time researching and cataloguing the information. She was also an amateur artist and found it greatly therapeutic to spend her retirement painting, particularly nature scenes and renderings of her grandchildren. She had just started painting a picture of an old barn in North Carolina, surrounded by trees and sky, when she passed away.

Karen is survived by her husband of 58 years, Larry S. Christian, of Dalton, Georgia, her daughter, Bethany C. Brown (Geoff) of Fayetteville, New York, her son, Matthew S. Christian (Jeanie), of Dalton, Georgia, her grandchildren, Evan Raymond, of Greenville, South Carolina, Riley Christian, of Dalton, Georgia, Colin Raymond, USAF- San Angelo, Texas and Julia Christian, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as by her sister, Linn Fredrick of Henderson, North Carolina, her sister-in-law, Dianne Mills, of Ashburn, Virginia, her niece, Katie Golembe (Mike) of Vienna, Virginia, her niece, Sheri Bailey, of Henderson, North Carolina, her nephew, David Dombrosky (Kelly Riley), of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and many great-nieces, great-nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Christine Steinmetz.

A private burial service will be held at ChristChurch Presbyterian in Dalton, Georgia, where her ashes will be placed in the church's Memorial Garden. A public memorial service will be held at Grace Point Church in Irmo, South Carolina, at a date and time to be announced by the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Karen Christian's memory to the ASPCA (www.aspaca.org) (or the animal charity of choice), or to the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org). In keeping with the family's sense of humor, friends may also remember "The Human Fund- Money for People."