After extended illness, Karen June Oder Taylor slipped into the loving arms of her Savior Friday, February 23, 2024, in Marietta, Georgia. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 12:00pm at Marietta Funeral Home. The family will receive friends and visitors for one hour prior to the service.

Karen was born at home on April 8, 1946 in Mercer County, Missouri. She was preceded in death by her loving parents, George, and Ruby Oder.

Karen attended a one room school for her first four years. She accepted Jesus at the age of 7. Lived on their family farm until 17 years of age. Karen was active in 4H and participated in many aspects of farming, including milking cows, driving tractors, and cooking for the family.  She loved all the farm animals, including kittens, which were her playmates, as there were no other children who lived close. Graduated Princeton high school in 1963 and moved to Kansas City Missouri to begin her first job at the Kansas City public library.

She met and married the love of her life in July 1966, and married on December 10 the same year at Tabernacle Baptist Church. All three of their children were born between 1968 and 1971 in Bethany, Missouri, 90 miles from Kansas City.

Throughout her life, Karen was employed as a medical claim's examiner in Missouri, Texas, and Georgia.

Karen was appointed, along with Ken, as a Home Missionary to St. Joseph Missouri Baptist Association, and later returned to Kansas City where she began working in Medical Claims, remaining active at the church where they were married. Later, when Ken accepted a national consultant position with the Board, they moved to Spring, Texas and later to Atlanta, Georgia where Ken served on staff with the HMB.

After leaving the HMB, she continued working and served alongside Ken in starting ACTS Community Church, helping people in crisis throughout metro Atlanta. With her tireless, generous, and caring ways, she brought help and the gospel to hundreds of people.

Not being ready to retire, the company Karen worked for closed their Atlanta office and her employed life concluded. From her joy of thrift shopping, she began an on-line Marketplace business for the last few years as well as accompanied Ken as The Klassics, singing popular classic tunes to seniors in Assisted Living, while tending her vegetable and beautiful flower garden in pots.

She loved the amazing fellowship, music and preaching as a member of East Cobb Baptist Church, and if unable to be physically present, loved viewing through live streaming. She loved Jesus her entire life from age 7 and had a servant heart in helping others in Christ's name.

Karen was a caring and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. So much more could be said about her sweet loving ways and how she blessed others with her love for cooking homemade meals, her famous yeast rolls and Christmas candy as well as being hostess for dinner parties.  She will be deeply missed but never forgotten, as she rests in peace in her beautiful heavenly home.

She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Rev. Ken Taylor; her three children, Kathy Taylor Jones (Randall), Kevin Taylor (Brenda), Kurtis Taylor (Laura); brother, Larry Oder (Norma); five grandchildren, Kevin Lee, Christopher Matthew, Bailey Katherine, Ryan Caleb, Kenneth Carter; and multiple cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Mrs. Taylor's memorial service will be live-streamed from Marietta Funeral Home's Youtube Page .