Karen Temple Wiese

Long time Alliance resident and community volunteer, Karen Temple Wiese, moved to her eternal home just as day was dawning on January, 21, 2018 at the Levine & Dickson Hospice House in Huntersville, NC. Karen's death followed a year-long battle with a rare, soft tissue sarcoma.
Born Karen Sue Elliott on November 17, 1935, in Detroit, MI, to Wilbur Hiram and Mary Jane Sithes Elliott, Karen lived in Birmingham, MI, until she was orphaned at the age of twelve. Following the deaths of her parents, Karen was adopted by Wallace Archibald and Flora Hodgeman Temple of Grosse Point Farms, MI, and attended Grosse Point High School. She enrolled in college, interrupting her studies in 1955 to accompany her parents on a much treasured, three month, fifteen country "world tour" - the seed for a life-time interest in geography and the first of many international travel adventures. Karen received her Bachelor's degree in geography from Wellesley College, in Wellesley, MA in 1957. Upon graduating from college she worked as a secretary for Ginn & Company Publishers in Boston, MA, then for the Harvard-Yenchig Institute in Cambridge, MA. On May 24, 1958, Karen married Robert G. Wiese, Jr. of Wellesley, MA. She and Bob lived in Boston, MA and Salt Lake City, UT, before moving to Alliance, OH, in 1964, when Bob began his career as a geology professor at Mount Union College. Karen and Bob were married for fifty-three years before he died on December 17, 2011.
During her time in Alliance Karen was an active community volunteer. As a member of the First United Presbyterian Church, she taught Sunday school and served as a trustee, an elder, Clerk of Session, and member of the Muskingham Valley Presbytery Council. For many years she shared her joyful disposition and care for others through her clowning ministry as "Carin' Clown". Karen was active with the YWCA of Alliance, serving as the President of the Board, a board member and as the chairman of the Meals-on-Wheels program. She was also involved in the Mount Union College Campus Circle, the Mount Union Women's Club, and the Hill and Dale Garden Club.
Karen was known for being cheerful, caring and generous. She lived life with an indomitable spirit and was able to laugh at herself and smile in the face of difficulty. Shopping and browsing was among her favorite past times, and gift-giving was her love-language. She loved to travel, often sharing her globetrotting experiences and photos with others. Her handwriting was a neat italic which she employed in copious note-making and letter writing. Karen dabbled in art and calligraphy, and enjoyed skiing, playing tennis and gardening. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Karen had great pleasure and pride in her family, whom she encouraged and supported in their various endeavors.
Karen is survived by her brother John (Mimi) Braun, of Plymouth, Minnesota/Naples, Florida; her four children, thirteen grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter: son, Edward "Ted" (Mary Jo) Wiese of Baltimore, Maryland, with children, Robert (Krista) and Edward (Mia) Wiese; daughter, Marianne (Curt) Stern of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, with children, Carina (Garrett) Nasrallah, Bryan (Megan), Timothy (Megan Joy), Paul and Nathan Stern; son, John (Cathy) Wiese of Davidson, North Carolina, with children, Perry, Sarah and Landon Wiese; son, Philip (Jennifer) Wiese of Hudson, Ohio with children/step-children, Nicholas and Benjamin Wiese and Nicole Metoyer (and daughter Ava); and nine nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, adoptive parents, and brother, William "Bill" Elliott.
A memorial service for Karen will be held Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 2:00 pm with Rev. Jim McCurdy officiating at the First United Presbyterian Church, 425 E. Market St., Alliance, Ohio. The family will receive visitors prior to the service from 12:30-2:00 at the church and a tea/reception will be held following the service from 3:00 to 4:00 in the church's fellowship hall. Interment will be at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the YWCA of Alliance, (239 E. Market St., Alliance, OH, 44601), Levine & Dickson Hospice House (11900 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078) or University of Mount Union (1972 Clark Ave, Alliance, OH 44601). Arrangements are by Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, Huntersville, NC, and Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, Alliance, Ohio.