Nancy (Ayres) KarnsJune 20, 1929 to January 23, 2006
Survived by Phil Karns (Husband) and Amy Karns (Daughter) and lots and of adopted children and grandchildren and ya ya sisters.
She was a lover of animals, finder of pennies, dedicated wife, loving mother, registered nurse, medical research aficionado, encourager and helper... and my best friend.
Picture taken 12/25/2005
Mom loved finding pennies on the ground. It was her goal and delight to find at
least one penny a day. When she made the discovery she would squeal with glee and dance as only my mom could "Oooo, I found a penny!". It got to the point that people would throw pennies and coins down just to watch her dance. Every morning she would go to the mall with her walking buddies, Re and Mary. All the people in the mall knew her, the other walkers, the security guards, the janitors, the storekeepers who arrived early... She never knew a stranger. They would look on the ground, in the phones, in the chair cushions... everywhere for pennies. After several years of this routine they had found about $70 and were going to treat themselves to dinner. Instead, hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and they decided to send the money to the Red Cross as a donation (along with a funny picture of them bending over a sofa together and an explanation of how they collected the money). Mom and Dad ate at McDonald's some mornings. There were a group of regulars there that also realized her passion for pennies. Here's a poem mom sent me one time, explaining her affinity for finding pennies. I think it explains her jubilance and diligence in this ritual:
Pennies from Heaven
I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground,
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.
Found pennies come from heaven,
That's what I've been told,
By Angels watching over us
From their clouds of gold.
When an Angel thinks of you
They toss a penny down,
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile from your frown.
So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue,
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.
"In God We Trust" is not a phrase
Just printed on a penny,
It's something to remember
When your troubles seem like many.
So when you're down and it seems
Your life has a blue tint,
That penny on a sidewalk
May be truly "heaven-cent."
Mom loved life. No one lived it so fully as her. Every day was packed with things to experience, jobs to do, people to help. Some of the things I remember that made her happy were lilac bushes, teddy bears, birds, cats, and irises. Iris was her favorite flower. Where I grew up, in Centerville, Ohio, we had a whole flower bed that was full of iris. It ran down the whole length of the garage.
Mom was constantly rescuing and feeding strays (especially cats)... and befriending the neighborhood pets. She would take food and treats with her on walks and the cats would come running to greet her... dogs would look expectantly for their treats. She even fed a colony of stray cats that lived in the neighborhood football stadium. She had each of them named as though they were her own. When she came to visit my house... she would play for hours with my cats. I remember one time mom came for an extended visit. I had fallen and broken my wrist. She stayed with me for a couple of months. While she was there, my favorite dog died. She rescued a different dog and put
him in my back yard, and then went back home to Baton Rouge. Mom and I were terribly upset at the death of Shadow... and the new dog, Pepper, never could take his place. I hope Mom and Shadow can see each other and play together in heaven. There's got to be animals in heaven... Mom has to have her beloved pets there. Here is a picture of me and Shadow.
She was also always on a diet. The battle of a lifetime for her was to stay fit and trim. She did a mighty fine job of it too!
Mom loved to wear costumes at holidays. Here she is as the easter bunny in 2003 and then that Christmas with her walking buddy and neighbor, Mary. I have pictures of her also with santa claus hat on, reindeer antlers, as a spider, a witch... in red white and blue. She was such fun! And always entertaining others. Mom, Mary and Re used to walk at the mall with their costumes on. All the people got such a kick out of it. Uninhibited fun is what mom did best. Mom's friend Evelyn said of her
:
"I shall always remember that Nancy never seemed to lose that child-like quality about her. To me she seemed to light up a room when she entered it."
My cousin Wendy wrote:
"Laughter. That is probably the thing I remember the most - how she would laugh and her shoulders would shake and her face would light up."
My cousin Shari wrote:
"When I think of Aunt Nancy, I think of tremendous energy, a mischevious grin, a fun loving spirit, gardening and good food. She did caring things that made you feel loved. She made lunch for me and brought it to me at school one time when I forgot my lunch. It tasted wonderful, partly because it was really good, but mostly because someone brought it. She pierced my ears. How many aunts would pierce your ears? "
The hot air balloon festival was one of mom's favorite events. This was the view from mom and Dad's back yard last August...
...and a picture of mom looking delighted.
Mom so looked forward to it every year. It was such a party! I'd come down for a visit... it was my birthday on that week in August. Mom and Dad's house sat at the edge of the field where they held the festival. The balloons were a festive sight to see. Everyone wanted to come sit in mom & dad's back yard... or next door at Mary and George's. You couldn't tell where one crowd ended and the other started. It was the best spot in the neighborhood to watch the balloons. Mom was in her element during that time. She loved people. Some of my friends from New Orleans would come on one of the evenings and spend time with us. Missy wrote something to me to put in mom's memorial. Here's what she said:
"Mrs. Karns was an absolutely beautiful lady, inside and out, who gave to this world her absolutely beautiful daughter. We are so grateful to have had the enormous blessing of knowing both of these precious ladies. For the last three summers, out of the goodness of her heart, Mrs. Karns allowed Amy to have not only the six of us but a couple van loads of our extended family over to their home where we enjoyed such good company and the fun and majesty of the Hot Air Balloon Festival. I cherish those times and will forever. We will miss Mrs. Karns so very much. We will hold Amy close as our dear friend and adopted family member forever. You carry so much of your mom in your heart and in your smile, Amy, and you wear it well, my sister. We love you very much."Bill, Missy & the Kids
Mom loved children. She began babysitting the next door neighbors child and another (Hudson and Andrea) around 1990 (The year after I moved to Kentucky). This began a whole new extended family for mom, complete with kids (Andrea, Karen, Eileen, Hudson, and Joanne) that called her Grandma. They were of asian descent... this was confusing to the children in Hudson's show and tell class. One of them walked up to mom and stated upon her introduction as Hudson's grandma, "But you're not chinese!". Every Christmas our house would be filled with the chinese families. The Chao's, The Chiens, The Chis... all part of our family forever. We had all kinds of great asian food and the traditional turkey and fixins. It was a grand time for sure! As I sift through pictures at Dad's house, I will find a Christmas pic and show it here too.
When I was growing up and a young adult, I had friends who would just naturally call my mother "mom". It seemed to be the normal course. Mom was a natural and cared for the people in her life as her own family. Ya'll are forever my family.
Mom and Dad joined an organ club several years ago where they developed a group of dear friends. The picture to the left is of them in '99 at a club meeting. I always knew when they were to have the organ club at their house. I think it happened about every month. Mom was so up on those days... Dad was excited too. They would chatter on the phone to me about the evening's planned activities. The next day I would get the update on how things went. The organ club was a fun group of people soon adopted into mom's family circle. Mom never did play the organ... but she sure did like the friends and fun!
Mom was an avid gardener. She loved flowers. Digging in the dirt was her therapy. She not only dug in her yard, but pulled weeds and gardened in neighbors yards as well. When she came to visit me, wherever I lived, she would take care of my flower beds and help me landscape my yard. I remember when I was in Kentucky that she and dad helped me get my yard in shape. We cut down trees. Later mom made flower beds that are still there to this day. My friend Barbara commented on the tulips that come up each spring in the garden in the front yard of the little house I lived in.
"I will remember Nancy's love of flowers. When Amy lived in Somerset, she bought a cute little house. Her mother love to come & "piddle" in the yard planting flowers & bulbs. Even though Amy move away several years ago, the red & yellow tulips still pop up every spring in the bed Nancy planted. I will always be reminded of her when I see spring."
Other Quotable Quotes
“I shall always remember that Nancy never seemed to lose that child-like quality about her. To me she seemed to light up a room when she entered it.”
~ Evelyn Porciau
“That is probably the thing I remember the most - how you would laugh and your shoulders would shake and your face would light up. You seemed to enjoy life and people and the stories you would share with us. I missed a lot of you as my aunt since we didn’t live very close, I didn’t have the oportunity to really get to know you. But what I will remember of you is your joyful laugh and stories that you would share with us. Now you can go and be with your brothers and parents and catch up with them. You will be missed. Until we meet again...”
~ Wendy Daniel
She was a vivacious, upbeat woman who I remember as being one who lit up a room when she entered it. She wrote caring replies back to me when I was going through my breast cancer treatment, telling me that there is HOPE in surviving as there are now new treatments available. She told me that she knew that God will take care of me, which I am MOST sure that He did or I wouldn’t be here today. She told me to keep my spirit up as she felt as if it had a lot to do with healing (to which I STRONGLY agree). She could relate to my feelings of despair as she, herself, had gone through cancer. She told me that maybe my hair would grow back in very, very curly after I was done with my chemo treatments to which it has. She told me that I was in her nightly prayers and how she wished she could be with me to give me support, but she knew that I had ALOT of support and was well taken care of with my family and friends at my side. She also told me that she just knew that all will be right again, to which it is. Nancy was a beautiful, highly spirited woman whom I wished had lived closer to me and that I would have gotten to spend more time with. She will be truly missed by me! ~ Sherry Schaffer
“When I think of Aunt Nancy, I think of tremendous energy, a mischevious grin, a fun loving spirit, gardening and good food. She did caring things that made you feel loved. She made lunch for me and brought it to me at school one time when I forgot my lunch. It tasted wonderful, partly because it was really good, but mostly because someone brought it. She pierced my ears. How many aunts would pierce your ears? “
~ Shari Fox
“One of the things I always think of when I think of Auntie Nance was when Uncle Phil first brought her to Grandma Roy’s house. Sandi, Synda, and I were at Grandma’s that day and we were all so excited because Auntie Nance went out to the barn with us and jumped, and swung from a rope from the hayloft, into the bales of hay down below. We thought she was the best because she took the time to go outside and play with us; we decided that day that she was the one, and we wanted Uncle Phil to marry her!” ~
“I loved her dearly , she was such a beautiful bubble to bring so much joy. We were given a gift, and many times over the years I have thanked God for her love and friendship for what we were given and still thankful today as often I smile when I think about our love and all our friends.”
~ Jean Hamilton
“I think about Aunt Nancy every day and wish that I had spent more time with her. The thing I remember most about her is her smile and laughter. My dad (her brother, Weldon) had that same infectious laugh. As a child I remember that the times when dad, Uncle Bruce & Aunt Nancy were together were always filled with laughter. I firmly believe that they are all together in heaven (along with my mom) and are now free of the depression that haunted them. As a matter of fact, I am sure that there is singing and laughter going on. We are left to mourn their absence and recall memories of the good times.”
~ Mary Ann White
“....This immediately spurs so many lovely memories of good times and good friends. Columbus, Ohio was first, there where the evenings with rabbits and stew, the jovial atmosphere with a couple of veterinary students and Nancy home from her day’s work. Rabbits courtesy of your lab work, Phil, and the talking of Oregon and ranch jobs, of our travels before we entered vet school. We were both older students as our class age goes, and Nancy so knowledgeable with her nurse’s training. Our practices found us far apart but we managed to keep in some touch over the decades of marriages, practices, birthing of our children and other good times. Nancy was always so interested in other folks, their machinations with good times and bad, their well-being and their place in the world. ~ Bill Hess
Mom and I were best friends. Not too many daughters and mothers have the kind of relationship we had... but then again, my mom was not an average person. She never forgot how to play. She never developed some of the walls that most adults develop... walls of appearances. Her child-like spontanaeity, however, did not interfere with her responsibilities and excellent character. As Mom's body aged, it couldn't keep up with her playful spirit. This was very frustrating to her. I remember at age 70 she tried to jump a curb on her bike behind one of the neighborhood children. She was so surprised not to be able to do it and fell instead.
Nancy (Ayres) Karns
least one penny a day. When she made the discovery she would squeal with glee and dance as only my mom could "Oooo, I found a penny!". It got to the point that people would throw pennies and coins down just to watch her dance. Every morning she would go to the mall with her walking buddies, Re and Mary. All the people in the mall knew her, the other walkers, the security guards, the janitors, the storekeepers who arrived early... She never knew a stranger. They would look on the ground, in the phones, in the chair cushions... everywhere for pennies. After several years of this routine they had found about $70 and were going to treat themselves to dinner. Instead, hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and they decided to send the money to the Red Cross as a donation (along with a funny picture of them bending over a sofa together and an explanation of how they collected the money). Mom and Dad ate at McDonald's some mornings. There were a group of regulars there that also realized her passion for pennies. Here's a poem mom sent me one time, explaining her affinity for finding pennies. I think it explains her jubilance and diligence in this ritual:
Mom was constantly rescuing and feeding strays (especially cats)... and befriending the neighborhood pets. She would take food and treats with her on walks and the cats would come running to greet her... dogs would look expectantly for their treats. She even fed a colony of stray cats that lived in the neighborhood football stadium. She had each of them named as though they were her own. When she came to visit my house... she would play for hours with my cats. I remember one time mom came for an extended visit. I had fallen and broken my wrist. She stayed with me for a couple of months. While she was there, my favorite dog died. She rescued a different dog and put 
him in my back yard, and then went back home to Baton Rouge. Mom and I were terribly upset at the death of Shadow... and the new dog, Pepper, never could take his place. I hope Mom and Shadow can see each other and play together in heaven. There's got to be animals in heaven... Mom has to have her beloved pets there. Here is a picture of me and Shadow.
Mom loved to wear costumes at holidays. Here she is as the easter bunny in 2003 and then that Christmas with her walking buddy and neighbor, Mary. I have pictures of her also with santa claus hat on, reindeer antlers, as a spider, a witch... in red white and blue. She was such fun! And always entertaining others. Mom, Mary and Re used to walk at the mall with their costumes on. All the people got such a kick out of it. Uninhibited fun is what mom did best. Mom's friend Evelyn said of her:
The hot air balloon festival was one of mom's favorite events. This was the view from mom and Dad's back yard last August...
Mom loved children. She began babysitting the next door neighbors child and another (Hudson and Andrea) around 1990 (The year after I moved to Kentucky). This began a whole new extended family for mom, complete with kids (Andrea, Karen, Eileen, Hudson, and Joanne) that called her Grandma. They were of asian descent... this was confusing to the children in Hudson's show and tell class. One of them walked up to mom and stated upon her introduction as Hudson's grandma, "But you're not chinese!". Every Christmas our house would be filled with the chinese families. The Chao's, The Chiens, The Chis... all part of our family forever. We had all kinds of great asian food and the traditional turkey and fixins. It was a grand time for sure! As I sift through pictures at Dad's house, I will find a Christmas pic and show it here too.
Mom and Dad joined an organ club several years ago where they developed a group of dear friends. The picture to the left is of them in '99 at a club meeting. I always knew when they were to have the organ club at their house. I think it happened about every month. Mom was so up on those days... Dad was excited too. They would chatter on the phone to me about the evening's planned activities. The next day I would get the update on how things went. The organ club was a fun group of people soon adopted into mom's family circle. Mom never did play the organ... but she sure did like the friends and fun!
Mom and I were best friends. Not too many daughters and mothers have the kind of relationship we had... but then again, my mom was not an average person. She never forgot how to play. She never developed some of the walls that most adults develop... walls of appearances. Her child-like spontanaeity, however, did not interfere with her responsibilities and excellent character. As Mom's body aged, it couldn't keep up with her playful spirit. This was very frustrating to her. I remember at age 70 she tried to jump a curb on her bike behind one of the neighborhood children. She was so surprised not to be able to do it and fell instead.
