Karen Darlene Lancaster, 73, of Granite City, Illinois, passed away at 5:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City. She was born January 27, 1951, in Granite City, a daughter of the late Harvel and Sybil (Young) McElroy. Karen retired in 2015 from Gateway Regional Medical Center after over 20 years of dedicated service in housekeeping.
She had also worked at the Granite City Library for several years. She was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, enjoyed sewing, crossword puzzles, gambling and her coffee in the morning. She had a green thumb with plants and was very independent and will be remembered for the love and special times shared with her family and friends. She is survived by four children, Lisa Stover of Granite City, Rebecca Hammond of Shiloh, Darrell Lancaster of Granite City and Sarah (Jeremy) Thomas of Granite City; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; five siblings, Evelyn Faye VanLoon of Bethany, Steve McElroy of Granite City, Marshall McElroy of Granite City, Shelly Thompson of Glen Carbon and Tracy McElroy of Glen Carbon; many nieces and nephews; other extended family and friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Tommy McElroy and her twin sister, Sharon Willis.
In celebration of her life, visitation will be at Irwin Chapel, 3960 Maryville Road in Granite City on Monday, April 22, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. until time of funeral service at 12:00 noon.
Burial will follow at Sunset Hill Memorial Estates in Glen Carbon. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or to a charity of one’s choice and may be accepted at the funeral chapel. www.irwinchapel.com
