Karen Parish Bateman's Obituary
Karen Parish Bateman
October 7, 1957 – July 8, 2022
Karen passed away in a Dallas hospice facility on July 8, 2022.
Karen Lea Parish was born at Saint Paul Hospital in Dallas on October 7, 1957. Karen was the second child of George Henry Parish and Jacquelyn Gay Parish. Karen’s father died when she was 11 and her mother died when Karen was 13.
After her parents died, Karen, her older sister Terri, and her younger sister Debbie went to live with their mother’s cousin Perry Nelson, his wife Mary June and their daughter Donna. Perry died a year later. Mary June became a second mother to Karen and Karen always referred to Donna as her sister.
Karen graduated from Lake Highlands High school and lived most of her adult life in the Dallas area. She met her future husband David Bateman at the original TGI Fridays on Greenville Avenue in Dallas in 1977 when they were both in the restaurant business. Karen and David were married on March 17, 1979 and they had one daughter Jacquelyn.
For eighteen years Karen stayed home to raise her daughter Jacque. Later in life she worked at several retail stores including Big Lots in Plano. Karen was able to travel to many places including Mexico City, New York City, Vero Beach, FL, San Francisco, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Montreal, London, and Paris.
Karen was a kind, generous person, and a good listener. She had many friends from her teenage years and from her 14 years with AA groups in Plano. She loved her job at Big Lots and worked hard to make both her customers and co-workers feel good. At her AA groups she mentored many women. Karen was a good wife and mother, she loved her daughter Jacque and she adored her two grandsons Cayden and Jackson.
Karen was preceded in death by her mother and father, her two sisters Terri and Debbie, and her second mother Mary June. She is survived by her husband David Bateman, daughter Jacque Kruppa, son in law Kyle Kruppa, grandsons Cayden and Jackson Kruppa, sister Donna Marshall, nephews Jason and Jeremy Meseberg, Michael Calvert, and niece Brandi Madden. Karen also leaves behind many dear friends including lifelong friend Gail Donaldson.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 30.
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