Karen (Anderson) Cleary

Karen J Cleary, 79, passed away April 5, 2025, in Lake St Louis, MO. Karen was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in Rockaway NJ. She graduated from Morris Hills High School and Montclair State University. She was an art teacher in New Jersey, California and Tennessee before moving to Lake St Louis and teaching there. Karen was predeceased by her parents, Olga and Walter Anderson and her brother Dennis Anderson of Bayville NJ. She is survived by her son Adam, her sister-in-law Susan Quinn, her loving cousins, and her many good friends, including Joanie and Deana and Dawn, who she loved dearly. Karen was an excellent cook and loved to prepare delicious meals. She enjoyed traveling, reading, puzzles and crocheting. She would spend a month each summer in New Jersey with her brother and sister-in-law. She and Sue had adventures in New York City, Cape May and the Jersey Shore and visited old friends and family while she was there. Her St Louis friends would tell her to speak “Jersey” to them when she returned as her accent would change from Midwest to New Jersey. Karen began her 27-year teaching career with the Wentzville School District in 1980, after her new friend, Jan Coons, mentioned to her that the Wentzville district was looking for a new elementary art teacher. After interviewing her, they decided that Karen was the one! Karen bonded easily with her art students as she presented interesting art activities and projects in her classroom. As the Fourth Grade Camp program continued to develop, Karen was an enthusiastic participant as she and her students enjoyed the outdoor art activities that she created. Karen began teaching in what was then called the East Building, and later moved to Boone Trail Elementary in 1990, remaining there until she retired in 2007. Some of her closest friends and colleagues at Boone Trail were Jeri McCollister, Mira Gillani, Ashley Trevena, and Sammye Matzner. Karen also helped guide her students and their teachers during the decorative displays needed for the annual Boone Trail Days celebration. Because she so readily shared her ideas with her colleagues, Karen was well loved and appreciated. We will all remember her ready laugh, her sense of humor, and her sometimes zany antics. Karen’s attitude towards life could be summed up by her fondness for all things flamingo with a hint of Miss Piggy. Bright pink feathers and her no holes barred approach to expressing her opinions kept things colorful and light. She even had a special way to teach her students how to sketch a flamingo using a few strategically placed shapes and lines.

A memorial visitation will be held April 21, 2025, at the Pitman Funeral Home, Wentzville, MO, from 1 to 3pm, followed by a service at 3pm. She will be laid to rest with her brother in NJ and a celebration of her life will be in NJ at a later date.

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