KAREN CHANCELLOR

Karen Sue (Eaton) Chancellor passed peacefully from this earth, July 24, 2021. She was surrounded by her five children. Karen was, put simply, an amazing human being with a heart of pure gold. She was adored by all who knew her; most of all by her family, but also by the many students whose lives she touched during her decades as a counselor and educator. She was the cornerstone of her family--the very definition of a matriarch. Karen enjoyed simple things and family traditions--cooking Sunday dinners for her children and grandchildren, visiting with her brothers, holidays and birthday celebrations, baking cookies with her grandkids at Christmas, and homemade ice cream on her birthday. She loved the Lord, and though was unable to attend church in person this summer, she seldom missed a virtual service at Wyaconda Baptist Church. Karen lived by two mottos - Life is What You Make It and There is always a choice, pick the right one. She instilled in her children that prayer was the answer to life’s most complex problems.

Karen was born July 9, 1948 to J.M. and Betty Eaton in a farmhouse in rural Canton, Missouri. She graduated in 1966 from LaGrange High School. She enjoyed her class reunions and remained close to some of her high school friends. She graduated from Culver-Stockton College with a Bachelor of Science in Education and from Western Illinois University with a Masters in Counseling. She worked as a Special Education teacher in the Palmyra and Canton public school districts. She also worked as the high school guidance counselor for Canton High School. She co-owned and operated Crossroads Counseling Center in Canton for a few years before returning to the Canton public schools where she taught high school English. Teaching was Karen’s passion. She loved the school setting and adored her students.

Karen is survived by her four daughters Teresa (Andy) Turgeon, Stephanie Stein-Chancellor, Andrea Stewart, and Jessica Chancellor; one son, Tony (Kenzy) Chancellor; one foster son Dustin Foust; grandchildren Beau, Shelby and Harper Turgeon, Logan and Madison Chancellor, Geana Stewart, Jimma, Waylon and Augustus Chancellor, Dannica and Dominique Lewis, and one great granddaughter LaShay Chancellor; two brothers Jay (Amy) Eaton and Randy (Judy) Eaton, many nieces and nephews whom Karen adored, and her mother-in-law Betty Chancellor.

Karen was preceded in death by her husband Robert W. Chancellor; an infant daughter, Baby Girl Chancellor; her parents, J.M. and Betty Eaton; and her father-in-law Robert Chancellor. Her family finds comfort in knowing that she was delighted to be reunited with her loved ones when she passed, especially with her parents and her daughter who she missed terribly in life.

Karen saw the good and the potential in all people and in every situation. She was known for her kindness and her dedication to her family, colleagues, students and friends. She was exceptionally generous. On many occasions she anonymously provided for the needs of her students or their families. Karen also loved to read and worked diligently to facilitate a love of reading in her students. To honor Karen, the family is requesting memorial donations be made to either the Canton R-V Library or the Canton R-V Nurse Diane Jorgensen fund and mailed in care of Davis Funeral Home, P.O. Box 108, Canton, MO 63435.

Graveside services will be accorded on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Forest Grove Cemetery. Services will be officiated by Reverend Paul Kinney. Two of Karen’s favorite hymns, “In the Garden” and “When the Roll Is Called Upon Yonder” will be prerecorded. Andy Turgeon will provide music for “Amazing Grace.” Pallbearers: Randy Eaton, Jeffrey Eaton, Julie Eaton, Tony Chancellor, Beau Turgeon and Dustin Foust. Honorary pallbearers: Jay Eaton, Lesley Eaton, Andy Turgeon, Kenzy Chancellor, and the true loves of Karen’s life, her grandchildren.

It is difficult to sum up Karen’s life in a few paragraphs. The legacy she leaves behind can be found in the love her children and grandchildren have for each other. It can be fostered and honored by showing acts of kindness, love and generosity toward one another.

Online condolences may be left at www.davis-fh.com