Obituary of Karen Lynne Konrad

Karen Lynne Batson Konrad, 81, of Roanoke, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at Lewis-Gale Medical Center after a brief illness.

Karen, (a.k.a. Grandma Karen or Mrs. Zuwiggins), was born on May 12, 1936, the daughter of the late Albert Batson and Virginia Dare Louther Batson. She is predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Charles Edward Konrad, PhD.

Karen is survived by her four children, Charles (Chip) (Leslie) Konrad, PhD, Kurt Konrad, Kristen (Butch) Johnstone, JD, and Christopher (Christina) Konrad; five grandchildren, Katie, Zachary, and Carey Konrad, and Kirin and Ian Johnstone; her brother, James Albert (DJ) Batson; her sister-in-law, Mary Lynn (Frank) Chesnik; her special aunt, Roberta Bartlett; as well as several nieces and nephews and many friends.

After graduating high school as valedictorian at Tyler County High School in Middlebourne, W.Va., Karen initially went to work as a secretary at the Union Carbide plant nearby, forgoing a full scholarship to West Virginia University because she was eager to get out into the big world in style. She met the love of her life, Bud Konrad, on a blind date, and the rest is history as they say. Bud, an accomplished electrical engineer, was hired out of college by General Electric, and after a few years, the couple moved to the Roanoke area in 1962, where Bud worked in GE’s Salem plant until his retirement in 1996.

Early on, Karen focused on raising her four children. The sign in the family kitchen for many years said simply, (Chief Engineer), and Karen was all that and much more. She ran the Konrad household with the efficiency of a military unit, always making sure every kid had everything he or she needed for school or sports or scouts and that everybody, including her husband Bud, got wherever they needed to be on time and ready to go. She was a room mother, den mother, PTA member, booster club member, carpool driver, generously volunteering her time and her many talents to whatever activities her kids chose to participate in. She was an excellent cook (her lasagna) was "to die for", and a gracious hostess. Karen was unusually verbally gifted, and she delighted in wordplay and banter with her close family in particular. She could more than hold her own in conversation with Bud and the kids, no mean feat given the strong personalities and opinions that often predominated at the family dinner table. She had a wicked sense of humor, a talent that undoubtedly enabled her to stay relatively sane while her kids were wreaking utter havoc on the household or in the neighborhood.

Karen was an avid sports fan, especially if one of her kids (and later grandkids) was playing or if one of the teams was the Virginia Tech Hokies, and she likewise sat for many hours in the stands cheering her kids and their friends on in football, basketball, baseball, track, and softball. She was on cloud nine when she had the opportunity to be photographed with VT coach Frank Beamer many years ago.

After her children got older, Karen became the parish secretary at St. James Episcopal Church, where she and Bud were active members for more than 40 years. Although Karen called herself "Mrs. Zuwiggins" after the dimwitted secretary to Mr. Tudball from the (Carol Burnett Show) popular in the 1970s, the many folks in the St. James community would tell you that Karen was anything but dimwitted. She treated the parish as her extended family, making sure everyone felt loved and valued. She wrote and published the parish newsletter, (The Connection), for many years, using her impressive verbal skills to bring the parish and the surrounding community closer together in a very unique and meaningful way. Karen was a "people" person, who delighted in the lives of her many friends and their families. She had an uncanny knack for being able to sense when others needed encouragement, and she would be able to make everyone whose lives she touched feel special and appreciated. She would generously dole out "warm fuzzies" to those in the St. James’ community whose accomplishments or needs merited special attention, and she loved to send cards, flowers and little gifts to family and friends for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and other special occasions, almost single-handedly keeping Hallmark in business in the process.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to continue Karen’s tradition of sending "warm fuzzies" and will be collecting stuffed animals to distribute to Roanoke area children who have been abused and/or neglected and are in need of special encouragement and love. Cash donations may also be made in Karen’s memory to the Children’s Trust of the Roanoke Valley, 540-344-3579 or online at roact.org.

The family also extends its heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses and support staff in the MICU and on the sixth floor west at Lewis-Gale Medical Center who so wonderfully cared for Karen and her family and friends throughout her brief illness.

A celebration of Karen’s life will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 5, 2017 at St. James Episcopal Church, 4515 Delray Street, NW, Roanoke, Va. 24012 by the Rev. Susan Bentley. The family will receive friends from 1-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Simpson Funeral Home, 5160 Peters Creek Road. 540-366-0707