Karen Ann (Keeley) Knoedl, 74, passed away on June 26, 2026. Born on December 16, 1951, to Ira Neal Keeley and Emma Jean Keeley, Karen lived a life full of love, grit, and fierce devotion to the people lucky enough to call her their own.

A 1970 graduate of Hall High School, Karen met the love of her life, Jim, in 1976, and the two were married in 1977. She earned her nursing license in 1978 and served as an LPN for 35 years, finding her true calling in hospice care over the final 12 years of her career. Named Hospice Nurse of the Year in 1996, she was an angel to countless families through the hardest days of their lives before retiring in 2013.

In her younger years, Karen loved camping at Lake DeGray, fishing with Jim, shopping with her mother, and the all day Saturday lunches with the whole family gathered at her parents' home. After losing Jim, she spent her time on long phone calls with her best friend, Michelle, shopping & getting her nails done with her daughter, Tiffany, weekend adventures with her sister Tootie and niece Stacey and above all she loved being with her grandson, Hunter, who was never too busy for a Diet Coke run and an episode or two of Judge Judy.

In her own words Karen wrote that Hunter brought her such joy & love that she did not know if her heart was big enough to hold it all.

Karen was a devoted daughter, a fiercely loving mother, and a sister so spicy that only Wayne and Tootie could handle her. She was fierce, feisty, and exactly the person you wanted in your corner, because she was not afraid to fight. She loved deeply and was loved deeply, especially by Jim, her husband of 47 years, with whom we have no doubt she is dancing with in Heaven right now.

Karen is preceded in death by her husband, Jim Knoedl; her parents, Ira Neal and Emma Jean Keeley; and her nephew, Caleb Scott Smith.

She is survived by her daughter, Tiffany McCormick, and son-in-law, Derek McCormick; her sister and brother-in-law, Carolyn (Tootie) and Carl Bores; her brother and sister-in-law, Wayne and Louise Keeley; her niece, Stacey Murray, and husband, Chris Murray; her nephew, Michael Bores, and wife, Sherry Bores; her lifelong best friend, Michelle Jenkins; her faithful dog, Henry James Knoedl McCormick; and the great joy of her life, her grandson, Hunter Jackson Dye.

She was loved beyond measure, and she will be deeply missed.

Visitation will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, at Dial & Dudley Funeral Home in Bryant, Arkansas. The funeral service will begin at 1:00 p.m., with burial to follow at 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to send flowers, her favorite color was purple.