Karen Wheatley

Karen J. Wheatley, (74), of Indianapolis, Indiana passed away on September 10, 2023.  Karen was born on February 6, 1949, to Earl J. and Loretta F. Mattingly in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Karen is survived by her husband, George D. Wheatley, her children Stacey (David) Gordon, Charles (Amy) Bare, David Wheatley, and Marikay Raters.  She is also survived by her nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Karen lived her entire life in Wanamaker, Indiana and was extremely proud of the Franklin Township community.  She was a frequent contributor to the Franklin Township Informer where she would submit letters to the editor pointing out both good and bad goings on in the community.  She also had a column in the Informer called “Never Trust a Skinny Cook”, where she would share her recipes.  As a young mother, she was very active in Girl Scouts as a leader and volunteer.  She was a Franklin Central Band Booster member and would frequently pass out popsicles on hot days after practice.  As her children grew older, she became more involved with Wheatley’s Market.  When the market closed in 1999, she helped with the much-loved Wheatley’s Fish Fry and worked tirelessly alongside her husband and several great employees.  After several years with the Fish Fry, she worked at various Hallmark stores, where she loved the interaction with customers and helping them find the perfect card or gift.

She believed St. Francis was her patron saint and word of this got out because there was not a stray animal that passed through Wanamaker that didn’t end up on her doorstep.

Her fun-loving spirit, love, and generosity will be deeply missed by many.

A celebration of her life will be 12:00pm, Friday, September 15^th at Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory, Franklin Township Chapel 5950 E. Thompson Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46237 with a visitation from 10:00am to service time. She will be laid to rest in Orchard Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/indiana?form=alz_donate

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