Karen Allgood Lowe

Karen Allgood Lowe, 81, of Auburn, Indiana, passed away peacefully on November 20, 2022, surrounded by her children.

Karen was born in Steger, Illinois, on October 2, 1941, to Walton Wm. Allgood Sr. and Mabel Allgood (Dettmering). Karen enjoyed her early childhood in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. On weekends, Karen and her mother would travel into the city’s Magnificent Mile, visit the Field Museum, lunch at Berghoff’s, then go on to Marshall Field’s where they would have tea and mints, all memories that she cherished. Karen moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to live with her older sister Barbara and her husband Russell to attend Milwaukee Lutheran High School. Upon graduation, Karen entered Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She began her nursing career at Parkview Hospital as an Orthopedic Surgical Nurse, as well as an on-call ER surgical nurse. It was in Fort Wayne Karen met and married Eugene A. Alter. They had two daughters, Margaret Lorig Alter (Dierkes) and Molly Groom Alter.

Karen continued her nursing career and married Robert H. Lowe in 1973. They had a son, Crash Christopher Lowe. The family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Karen began working in medical sales. She expanded her knowledge and training as a surgical nurse and began teaching nurses how to use surgical equipment. Karen loved what she was doing; she was very enthusiastic about the medical field and was presented Saleswoman of the Year.

With Karen’s knowledge of the medical field and her entrepreneurial skills, she branched out on her own, relocated to Twinsburg, Ohio, and created a medical coding and auditing company called C.U.R.E.S. She had found her niche in the medical field. With her dedication and passion, she received Crain’s Cleveland Top 20 Businesswomen of the Year for two years in a row. Celebrating her successes, Karen always turned to her first loves, her faith in God and the loves of her life, her children. Throughout Karen’s life, her faith was unwavering. She was active in every congregation she became a part of. Her faith was service, and she shared that love of God and acts of service with her children and community.

Karen was a woman of adventure, from cross country road trips, snow skiing, whitewater rafting, and sailing through the Caribbean Sea to sailing across great oceans. There was not an adventure she didn’t love. Through all her travels, Karen never passed up an opportunity to find the nooks and crannies of each place she visited, and local shopping was always on the agenda. Her children, grandchildren, and her sister Barbara were her constant traveling companions and she instilled a passion for travel with everyone she knew. When she was around loved ones or close friends, she would always say "tell them that story about..."; she loved to share her travels with those around her. She did it all, drinking in every sight and bit of life she could take from each experience. She loved traveling so much that in 2006, with her sister Barbara at her side, they sailed around the world.  For four months, they sailed around the globe and stopped on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.  What an adventure and lifelong dream fulfilled it was for both of them.

As adventurous as Karen was, she was equally creative. In 1998 she designed and developed an active wear clothing company called BOOF Gear. Her talent for clothing design and interior design was a natural gift. There was not anything she couldn’t design or make; she was a meticulous craftsman and a lifelong learner.  She loved to share her creative side, her intelligence, her humor, her love of Christ, and her love of her children.

Karen is survived by her children: Margaret Dierkes (Paul), of Angola, Indiana; Molly Groom Alter of Murphysboro, Illinois; Crash Christopher Lowe (Lauren) of Falmouth, Maine; grandchildren, Bronson & Autumn Morphew of Kendallville, Indiana; Huck, Parker, Breck, and Victoria Lowe of Falmouth, Maine; two great grandchildren; Gavin & Ava Pant of Angola, Indiana, and many nieces and nephews.

Karen was preceded in death by; Walton Wm. Allgood Sr, Mabel Allgood, Walton Wm. Allgood Jr, Jean Allgood, Barbara Allgood Killion, and Russell Killion

Services will be June 3, 2023, at 11am at Thomas Funeral Home in Garrett, Indiana. A Celebration of Life will follow immediately at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, National Parkinson’s Foundation, or Michael J. Fox Foundation for research in memory of Karen Allgood Lowe.

https://www.apdaparkinson.org/

https://www.parkinson.org/  https://www.michaeljfox.org/