Funeral Details

Karen H. Thompson nee Harkleroad age 68, beloved wife of Stephen L. Thompson. Loving mother of Elizabeth Anne Thompson (Brian Stefanich) and Kathryn Nicole Thompson (fiancé Daniel Krause). Loving grandmother of Theodore James Stefanich. Dear sister of Kenneth (Deborah) Harkleroad. Memorial service Monday, February 1, 2016, 4PM at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Chicago Botanic Gardens, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022, www.chicagobotanic.org or Cancer Wellness Center, 215 Revere Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062, www.cancerwellness.org. Karen was born in Brooklyn, NY to her parents Arlo and Esta Harkleroad. In the mid 1950’s, her whole extended family (aunts, uncles, grandmother, cousins) moved to Memphis, TN where she graduated from Central High School in 1964. She attended and graduated from Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) cum laude in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and began a Master’s program in Psychology where she met her first husband. They married in June 1970 and subsequently moved to the Chicago area for work. They divorced in 1974. She stayed on in Chicago and took the training to become a Montessori teacher in the 3-6 age group. She worked at various Montessori Schools in Chicago and the northern suburbs for several years until she decided to change careers and attend school to become a Respiratory Therapist at Northwestern University. She graduated from the program in June 1979 and became a Registered Respiratory Therapist a year later. In May 1979 she met her current husband Stephen Thompson (born in 1953) who worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a supervisor in the Respiratory Care Department. They subsequently married on May 10, 1980 in Evanston Illinois and eventually settled in Wilmette Illinois. They had two daughters Elizabeth Anne Thompson in October 1982 and Kathryn Nicole in April 1985. Karen remained a Respiratory Therapist in the Special Care Nursery working with seriously ill babies at Prentice Women’s Hospital of Northwestern Memorial Hospital until early 1988 when she decided to return to the classroom to pursue her first love, teaching young children in a Montessori environment. She found her home at Chiaravalle Montessori School in 1988 and remained there as a well-loved teacher until June 2014 when she retired. Parents and grown children who had been in her classes would stop and talk with her years later and let Karen know how they were doing and the impact she had on their lives. She had remained somewhat active at the school in the 2014-2015 academic year as an academic consultant in the classroom but began to transition to a new role as a volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, Illinois. She worked with both programs designed to introduce young children to the gardens as well as the Butterfly and Blooms exhibit which she enjoyed very much. She became ill in July 2015 which was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. She fought hard through several rounds of chemo and surgery only to succumb to the disease on January 24, 2016. Her daughter Elizabeth and her husband Brian Stefanich welcomed a new baby boy Theodore James Stefanich to the family on January 8, 2016 so Karen was able to hold and talk to her grandson for a few weeks prior to her death which she enjoyed very much. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com