Karen Lynne Ray

Karen Lynne Ray was born to Pat and Lila Greer on November 16^th, 1962, the youngest of four kids who were raised on the Greer homestead.  While her brothers and sisters loved working cows or helping around the ranch, Karen could always be found in the house wearing her shorts and flip flops.  She just couldn’t wait till she grew up and moved off the farm so she could live in a house with carpet.  That dream came true when upon graduating high school, Karen met and married the love of her life, Jeffrey Ray.  They bought a home in Cedar Hill, New Mexico which is where Karen has called home for the last 40 years.  Though the two divorced over 15 years ago, they still remained close friends.  But perhaps her best and most loyal friends of all were her two calico kitties, Callie and Chewy.

Karen was a warrior for Jesus, sharing the word with everyone she met.  Just attending church on a Sunday was never enough for Karen…she had to attend three church services on Sunday plus several bible studies throughout the week.  Several years ago she even made a trek to the Holy Land where she was baptized in the Jordan River.  The past two years, Karen fought a tough fight with cancer.  During this time, she called upon her prayer warriors and leaned on her faith in Jesus to get her through a year of chemo/radiation and two years of immunotherapy.  After scans showed that she was cancer-free last year, she deemed herself “the walking talking MIRACLE” and shared her story with local churches all around the Four Corners.  She was an inspiration to all to keep fighting and never lose faith in God.

Professionally, Karen worked for the Durango Herald right out of high school, then moved to the LaPlata County Extension Office where she was a secretary for nearly 20 years. Upon leaving the county, she worked several secretarial jobs including working for the Aztec Baptist Church, San Juan Baptist Association, Chandler CPA, and most recently the Community Banking Association in Farmington, NM.  She loved planning events and loved to travel, so her role with the Banking Association allowed her to really shine.  

Karen loved to be the life of the party and to have all eyes on her. Recently she got to take part in the SJRMC Cancer Survivors Fashion Show, where she glowed and her eyes sparkled as she walked across the stage, smiling from ear to ear.  Karen also loved music, whether it was singing karaoke at Applebee’s on a Wednesday night with her friends, or singing “One Day at a Time” as a special at church.  She loved to plan parties and events, be it a simple family Christmas dinner or a large family reunion. She was always the one to say a blessing before every meal and she tried to make every get-together a fun one with her never-ending games.  Karen loved to host fish-fry’s at her home in Cedar Hill, and she was best known for her chocolate bundt cake and WEAK iced tea, which she would bring to every potluck.

Karen lived a full life until she passed away on Sunday December 10^th, 2023 surrounded by her loving family at her sister’s home in Hesperus, CO.  She held on until Sunday morning so she wouldn’t be late to her front row seat at the church service in Heaven.  She was preceded in death by her father, Pat Greer and her niece Sophie Horvath.  She is survived by her mother, Lila Greer, brothers Harry (Cindy) Greer, Jim Greer, Frances (Dale) Horvath, her two cats Callie and Chewy and numerous nieces/nephews and great nieces/nephews.  In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Marvel Methodist Church building fund for the purchase of projector screens in the front and back of the church.  Funeral Services will be held at the Marvel Methodist Church on Saturday December 16^th at 2 pm, with internment at the Marvel Cemetery to follow.