Karen Dorene Hammeren's Obituary
A Beautiful Heart ?á Karen Dorene Hammeren went to her eternal home June 7, 2012.?áShe is survived by her husband Norman Gene Hammeren of Fort Myers, her son Terry Randall Thompson of Lake Ozark, Missouri; her daughter Julia Thompson of ?áFort Myers, and grandson Luke Thompson of Lake Ozark, Missouri.?áShe is also survived by her sister Donna Mullinix of St. Petersburg, Florida, and her brother, Roger Sallee of Lake Ozark, Missouri. ?á Karen Hammeren was born in Los Angeles, California, on October 10, 1941.?áHer parents, Floyd and Alice Sallee moved from California and settled in Chanute, Kansas, where Karen was raised.?áHer father (of French descent) was an auto mechanic, and her mother worked for a clothing manufacturer. ?á She married Paul Thompson in 1958. Four years after the birth of her son Randy she bore her daughter Julie.?áShe loved being a mother and housewife and began raising her family with her husband in Lake Knolls, Illinois, near Springfield.?áAfter several years they were divorced. ?á In 1978, Karen ?ámarried Norman Hammeren while working as a sales representative for an aerospace products company.?áThey started their own aviation hardware business and lived in Indianapolis, Indiana.?áIt was at this time that the most important change occurred in Karen?ÇÖs life.?áShe realized she wanted to know the truth about the reality of God and by faith, gave her heart and life to Him.?áShe would often start the first 6 minutes of every hour in prayer to God?Ǫuntil she was virtually living in constant contact and awareness of ?áHis Presence.?áAs she prayed for her family, all of them came to a personal relationship with God through believing in Jesus as their Savior.?áGod prospered this couple?ÇÖs lives, their marriage and their business.?áA new direction became apparent to them. ?á After visiting, in 1989, she and her husband and daughter moved to Sanibel Island, Florida.?áThey relocated their aerospace products and hardware business to Fort Myers.?áIn 2001 they made their residence as well in Fort Myers. ?á Karen loved nature from childhood.?áShe was particularly fond and knowledgeable of ?ábotanical nature.?áShe had collections of bromeliads and orchids, and many other rare plants.?áShe designed her 2 acre gulf front property to be a tropical garden, filled with coconut palms, a banyan and other exotic trees and foliage.?áShe loved animals and was an avid bird watcher.?áShe adored her dogs and more recently, her two Havanese dogs, Jasmine and Rainy.?áShe saw beauty in everything God made and believed in celebrating ?áHis creativity.?áShe viewed God as the Master Artist, the one who painted the sunsets, created — with a sense of humor — the creatures of the sea, and infused the extravagant fragrance in her favorite flower…the gardenia.?á ?á She also loved setting beautiful tables and cooking gourmet food, growing fresh herbs and edible flowers.?áShe labored to teach everything she knew about keeping a home and living life physically and spiritually, to her daughter, in celebration of her womanhood.?áShe believed life?ÇÖs events should be expressed with creative excellence, as well as taking time in a day to appreciate a single moment or a single flower for the treasure it was.?á ?á Over the years, due to her health, she was not able to care for her husband and extended family (especially her son Randy and grandson Luke) the way she wanted to, nonetheless genuine love for all of them was deep in her heart.?áShe greatly trusted her husband, Norman and viewed him as the epitome of unconditional love, acceptance and support.?áIn every area of life, she held incredibly high standards, known for being a perfectionist, she shunned mediocrity. ?áDiscerning, knowing and living in TRUTH was the passion of her life, disdaining pretense and hypocrisy. ?áKaren?ÇÖs name means ?Ç£pure.?Ç¥?áHer middle name ?Ç£Dorene?Ç¥ means ?Ç£peerless spirit.?Ç¥?áThe ultimate message she taught and goal of her life was to have a PURE HEART before God.?áBlessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.?áMatthew 5:8?á ?á Many of her goals were left uncompleted and words of love she longed to say, left unsaid. But, her quest for knowledge, wisdom and heart purity?Ǫto put all of her heart and soul into everything she did, was paramount to her.?áThis tribute is a glimpse of the multi-faceted reflection of a truly beautiful heart, which paid the cost for a peerless spirit, and has now, has the reward of a truly beautiful life. ?á?á ?Ǫ.?Ç£For the Lord sees not as man sees, for mans looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.?Ç¥ 1 Samuel 16:7
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