“And he said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee:

for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Karen Beryl (Miller) Gebbie, was born on the 13^th of January 1969 at the Sudan Interior Mission station in Bulo Burti, Somalia.  Her mother, Helen Frances (Baker) Miller, was descended from pioneers who had traveled the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon.  Her father, John Gunson Miller, was born in Saskatchewan, though his roots were in Grey County: his family on his father’s side farmed in Normanby Township, between Neustadt and Ayton; and his mother’s folk came from Durham.  John and Helen met, married, and started their own family in Africa: Edith, Karen, and Neil were born there, while David, the youngest, was born in Canada during a furlough.

The first eighteen years of Karen’s life were spent mostly in Africa, first in Somalia, then in Ethiopia, and lastly in Kenya. She attended school from the age of six as a boarder first at Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa and then at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, northeast of Nairobi.  After graduating from RVA, she went to Grove City College in Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology and went on to Linfield College, Oregon, for another Bachelor of Science, this time in nursing.  While at Linfield, Karen was proposed and accepted for membership in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.  After college, she worked as a Registered Nurse in Family Practice settings with emphasis on pediatrics and telephone triage.

At a church service in Oregon, in August 1995, she was introduced to the visiting preacher from Scotland, one David Douglas Gebbie.  The conversation begun that Sunday morning lasted for 28 years.  For the first few months, it was by mail and telephone.  From November 1995 it was in person and in Portland.  Karen and Douglas got engaged on Karen’s birthday, 1996, and married in July of the same year.  Catriona “Caty” was born in 1998 and was joined by Iain in 2002.  In 2003, the family moved to Chesley where Karen continued to homeschool the children.  She joined the SBGHC-Chesley Hospital Auxiliary in 2013 and was President from 2017 to 2022.  As President, Karen was an ex officio member of the Hospital Foundation.  She served as a palliative care volunteer visitor with VON; and she helped with the baking entries at the Chesley Agricultural Society Fall Fair.

Through helping informally with a family at the school in 2017, Karen met the staff at Chesley and District Community School.  Soon she was asked to join the Educational Assistant group, first as emergency supply and later taking on temporary full-time contracts.  Karen thoroughly enjoyed her time at the school and made friends of all ages.

Karen’s foremost hobby was counted cross-stitching.  She also enjoyed reading, with M. M. Kaye being one of her favourite authors.  Baking appealed to her more than cooking.  Breadmaking was something at which she honed her skills and which brought out her competitive spirit at the Fall Fair.

In January 2023, Karen was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s. From that time, her health rapidly declined until she died at home from the disease on November 29^th 2023.

Dying at home, being visited by people whom she loved, was important to her.  The family cannot express how grateful it is to all those of the multi-disciplinary team whose commitment to excellence in care helped fulfil Karen’s wish.  Nor could it ever repay the spiritual, emotional, and practical help of friends, neighbours, and the community at large.  The support and kindness of staff and pupils at CDCS were a huge encouragement to her at a time when the disease was taking away from her so many things that she loved to do.  The love shown by the congregation of the Presbyterian Reformed Church carried Karen and the family over many rough places.

Beloved wife of Douglas.  Loving mother of Caty and Iain.  Cherished daughter of John Miller of Toronto and stepmother Freda; sister of Edith Johnson of Indiana, Neil (Ingrid) Miller of Bangladesh, and David (Tenya) Miller of Saskatchewan; aunt of David, Jonathan, and Shoshana; and sister-in-law of Dorothy Gebbie in Scotland.  Fondly remembered by her aunts, uncles, and cousins out West, on both sides of the 49^th.  Predeceased by her mother Helen (Baker) Miller, parents-in-law David and Isabel Gebbie, and brother-in-law Michael Johnson.

Karen’s funeral service was held at the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Chesley, Ontario, on Tuesday the 5^th of December.  The service began with the singing of the metrical version of Ps 100 to the tune Old 100^th.  The Rev. Mike Ericson, from Iowa, who officiated then lead the gathering in prayer and read Luke 23:33-43. His message was titled, “Today with Christ in Paradise”.  The in-door part of the proceedings was brought to a conclusion with another prayer and the singing of the 23^rd Psalm to the tune Wiltshire.  At the graveside, Mr Ericson addressed the attendees briefly from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

The committal was followed by a reception.  The Rev. Prof. Duncan Rankin gave thanks.  Duncan officiated at Douglas’s and Karen’s wedding.

“The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.”