Karen Laird, of Naperville, IL passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 3, 2023.  Karen grew up in Monroe, Wisconsin and knew from an early age that she wanted to become a teacher.  She was always passionate about learning, writing and music.  She played the clarinet in her high school band and was chosen as the recipient of the John Phillip Sousa Award for outstanding musical performance while attending Monroe High School.  Karen went on to study French on an academic scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She spent her junior year living and studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France.  She graduated from UW-Madison in 1965 and followed that by earning her Masters Degree in Teaching from Northwestern University in 1966.

She taught French full time for two years at James Hart Junior High School in Homewood, IL, but then taught part time at Elmhurst College, Hinsdale Junior High and Barrington High School for the next 17 years while also raising her two sons, Michael and Eric.  During this time period, she furthered her love for pets by raising multiple Welsh Corgis and competing in dog shows across the midwest.

She returned to teaching full time in 1986 when she began a 27 year career teaching multiple levels of French along with English Literature and Composition at Benet Academy in Lisle, IL.  While at Benet, in addition to teaching, she also served as the sponsor for French Honor Society and National Honor Society.  She also chaperoned a number of trips over the years to France and England sharing her love for travel, food and language with her students at Benet.

One of the greatest joys in Karen's life was spending time with her two grandchildren, Ethan and Cami.  She loved to play board games, create stories and paintings, go on walks and outdoor adventures, make fun meals, read books, really anything and everything, as long as they were doing it together.  Watching her with her two grandchildren was to watch her face and entire demeanor light up with love, joy, energy and enthusiasm.

After her retirement from Benet Academy, she continued to spend time with friends and family, but also took the opportunity to travel, take several writing courses and spent a number of years living in Door County and Verona, WI.  She moved back to Naperville, IL (Everleigh Apartments) in 2021 to be closer to her family.  At Everleigh, she enjoyed making new friends, joining a book club, dinner club, a happy hour group and a walking group along with participating in tai chi and other exercise classes. Her love for music continued in retirement as she sang in her church choir wherever she was attending services and continued to play her clarinet in a variety of municipal bands. She also continued in a teaching capacity volunteering as a tutor with Literacy DuPage serving as an English language tutor.

Karen is survived by two children: Michael Laird and Eric (Jennifer) Laird; her two grandchildren: Ethan and Cami Laird; her sister:Jane Buholzer; her two sisters-in-law, Betsy (Scott) Turenske and Kathy Laird. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Shirley Buholzer and her sister Pam Kelly.

Please join us to celebrate Karen's life, share fun memories and celebrate God's grace and love.  A casual memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 15th, starting at 3:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church at 130 N. West St. in Wheaton, IL 60187.