Karen Ann Horsley

Karen Ann Horsley, age 86, of Kettering, Ohio, passed away peacefully under hospice care on Monday, June 2, 2025. Born on September 23, 1938, her parents were Oliver and Clare Fowler. Karen grew up in the greater Columbus area. She had two sons, Ben and Jeff. Karen married Bill Horsley in 1969 and the two of them had 49 years together before his passing in 2018. Bill’s career with the U.S. Army and subsequent work with the Department of Defense took their family to the Philadelphia, Augusta, Georgia and Dayton, Ohio areas. Karen worked for a time with J.C. Penney department store in Dayton, but her primary focus was always on her family. She was active in the West Carrollton Church of the Nazarene where she and Bill were longtime members.

Karen’s most valued treasures were the memories she had with friends and family. There was no more special time for those memories to be made than Christmas, her favorite season. In her last few years she kept a lit Christmas tree up year round. For her, A quiet storm, a hot cup of tea, an empty writing tablet and an Agatha Christie book would be the makings of a perfect day. As a military wife, Karen and her family were often moving to new places. Wherever they found themselves she made lifelong friends, staying in touch with them through her thoughtful letters, of which she would write more than 12,000 over the course of her life. Karen valued her friends and church family, she cherished her two sons and her husband and she loved her God.

Karen is survived by her sons Ben (Kelly) Spitler and Jeff (Kelly) Spitler; grandchildren Rebekah, Abigail, Joel, Jonathan, Bethany and Peter; and great-grandchildren, Nathan, Elizabeth, Evelyn, Ember, and Favian.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11am on Tuesday, June 17 at the West Carrollton Church of the Nazarene, 550 S. Elm St., West Carrollton, Ohio 45449.