Karen Elizabeth Calengor

Karen Elizabeth (Weldele) Calengor, beloved wife, mother, GiGi, and sister, age 69, of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away too soon on March 11, 2020 in Sarasota, FL from a pulmonary embolism. We will always remember Karen’s warmth, thoughtfulness, and passion for life and laughter. She was born July 11, 1950 to the late Frank and Eleanor Weldele, and was raised in Youngstown, OH. Karen graduated from Austintown Fitch High School where her claim to fame was being the school mascot - Freddy Falcon. She received a Bachelors of Education from Youngstown State University, where she was a member of Sigma, Sigma, Sigma Sorority and was the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Sweetheart. She also received a Masters of Special Education from the University of Saint Francis and an Educational Specialist (EdS) in Reading and Literacy from Ohio State University. In 1973, Karen married her college sweetheart, Jerry Calengor, at St. James Episcopal Church in Youngstown, OH. The couple moved to Fort Wayne, IN to begin their life together. Karen was an exceptional educator and shared the gift of learning and reading with thousands of students, whom she thought of as her own children. She had an amazing career of over 38 years, having taught Elementary, Spanish Immersion, Special Education, and was a Reading Diagnostician. Karen would light up a room with her infectious smile, never met a stranger, and often left with new friendships made. She had a special gift of making people laugh and impeccably weaving humorous tales. She was a loving wife and mother, a ‘Jill of all trades,’ always up for an adventure, and had a bit of whimsy in everything that she did. Karen loved spending time in Siesta Key, FL, ‘Gadabouting’ on Lake Michigan, and ‘swimming-in’ across the Midwest with the Amphicar, where many memories were formed over the years with family and dear friends. Friends and family will always remember her kind-hearted, spunky, witty, firecracker, and ‘if the shoe fits, buy it in every colour’ spirit. Whether she was teaching children, tap dancing in a frog suit, hosting Mr. Whisker’s Weiner Roast, or simply enjoying a coffee with lots of cream and sugar with friends, her love and generosity were always at the heart of her intentions. Karen is survived by her husband Jerry, daughters Anne (Rob) Irwin of Greenwood, IN and Kate (Brendan) Storey of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She is also survived by her brother Frank (Sherry) Weldele, sister-in-law Mary (Bob) Weldele-Coco, brother-in-law Scott (Kim) Calengor, nephews, cousins, six grandchildren: Logan (Alex) Irwin, Keaton (Bailey) Irwin, Parker Irwin, Ellie Irwin, Caroline Storey, and Philip Storey, and Mr. FJ Whiskers, one of the many wired-haired dachshunds she’s loved over the years. Karen passed along her passion for life, humour, and appreciation of dance, language, and the arts to her children and grandchildren. She was immensely proud of her family, especially her grandchildren, and nothing made her happier than spending time with them. She will always be our GiGi, and we will always remember…XOXO ‘Hugs!’ A funeral will be held on August 13, 2020 at 10:00am at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 5400 Market St., Youngstown, OH. A celebration of life will occur on August 16th from 1:00-5:00pm at Country Heritage Winery, 0185 County Rd 68, Laotto, IN. Please RSVP at https://bit.ly/KCalengor for the Celebration of Life, so we can ensure proper COVID-19 protocols are followed. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wagon Wheel Theatre, https://www.wagonwheelcenter.org/support/.