Karen Ruby Massey, 64

Karen Ruby Massey, 64, of Lenox, Iowa, passed away of natural causes on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Karen was born on June 8, 1960 in Creston, Iowa, to Everett and Vina (Shawler) Smith. She grew up in Lenexa, Kansas, graduating from Shawnee Mission Northwest in 1978. Shortly after graduating, Karen moved to North Carolina with the love of her life, Kenneth Millard Massey. On June 29, 1981, Karen was united in marriage to her best friend, Ken, in Kansas City. Karen gained a daughter, June, through their union. After getting married, Ken and Karen brought four children into the world; Amanda, Evette, Preston, and Maggie. Ken and Karen moved back to the Midwest in 2009, to be closer to Karen’s big, loud, rambunctious, family.
Growing up, Karen loved going camping with her dad’s family at Tanglewood Lake, spending time on her Grandma and Grandpa Shawler’s farm, and getting into trouble. Karen had a bit of a rebellious streak and started skipping school; so much so that her mom did some of her school work just so she would pass. She also roped (tricked) her siblings into things so they wouldn’t be able to tattle on her. She got tickets to see Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (her second love), with her bestie, Judy, and conveniently forgot to tell her parents until after the fact. But the joke was on her because the concert was rained out.
Throughout her life, Karen worked many jobs, such as at Wimpy’s and the “Mouse House” in the Kansas City area. She also worked as a loss prevention specialist at a Kmart in North Carolina, where she went hard in the paint against fools unwise enough to cross her path — a.k.a she tackled shoplifters in the parking lot. Even though Karen was impeccable in her work, what she loved most was helping people. When she moved back to Lenox, she started working for Taylor Ridge, which is now known as Imagine the Possibilities. Karen absolutely loved the folks she had the privilege of working with, and always considered them as family.
Among the many things she loved, such as playing nertz with family and friends, eating at Dotties (her favorite restaurant in North Carolina), butterflies, plants, and reading; the one thing she loved above all else was her family. She loved being a mom (and was a damn good one, too), and she loved being a mawmaw/grandma/dranma honeybuns to her grandchildren. She showed pictures of her grandchildren to anyone who would look at them. She loved her family more than anything, and always welcomed newcomers with open, loving arms. She loved her children-in-law and their families just as much as her own blood family. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for those she loved.
Left to cherish Karen’s memory are her mother Vina of Lenox; her husband of 43 years, Ken of Lenox; children June (Sean) Kingery of Lenox, Amanda (Mike) Cox of Burlington, NC, Evette (Cole) Westphal of Clive, IA, Preston (Emma) Massey of Bluffton, IN and Maggie (Allen) Padilla of Lenox; grandchildren Frank, Allen and Vina Hoffman of Lenox, Rex Hoffman of Des Moines, Alicia Kingery of Lenox, Kenny and Cindy Cox of Burlington, NC, Ila Westphal of Clive, IA, Ava-Mae Shepherd, Easton Shepherd, and Everett Massey of Bluffton, IN, and Junior and Carmen Padilla of Lenox; her siblings Beth (Larry) Rice of Lenox, Monica (Kenneth) Huber of Lenox, Mike (Becky) Smith of Lenox, and Amy (Dan) Ricks of Lenox; brother-in-law, Dean Wilson of Mebane, NC; and many nieces and nephews, who also knew her as Aunt Rue.
Karen was preceded in death by her father, Everett Smith; mother-in-law, Ila Massey; father-in-law, Millard Massey; brother-in-law, Dave Huber; sister-in-law Pam Massey; sister-in-law Jo Ann Wilson; brother-in-law Samuel Wilson; nephew, Archer Chaney; and sister, Karlene Huber.