Karen Marie Irwin

09/13/1950-04/25/2026. Born in Youngstown, Ohio. Preceded in death by her parents, Stanley and Caroline Miller, and brothers, Stanley Miller, Jr and Joey Miller. Survived by her husband of 44 years, Dr.Terry Irwin, and siblings, Tommy Miller (Phyllis), Jimmy Miller (Joanie), and Cecelia Peffer (Neil); step-children, Laura Williams (Joe) and Brian Irwin (Sue); and grandchildren, Hannah Williams, Jessica Williams, Ryan Williams, Eleanor Irwin, and Louisa Irwin; and nephew and niece, Tommy Skotis and Allison Hopps.

Karen became a registered nurse in Youngstown then came to Columbus in 1978 where she worked at Riverside Methodist Hospital. She was a dedicated nurse and particularly enjoyed cardiac care nursing, either on the coronary care unit or the cardiac step-down unit. She had fond memories of taking care of OSU Coach Woody Hayes. She often stayed well over her shift to get the charting done and enjoyed the direct patient care that involved not just assessing the patient with vital signs, but administering medications, truly listening to patients and giving them back rubs if needed.

Terry and Karen took ballroom dance lessons and enjoyed this immensely. However, in her later years, she was not able to do much dancing because of arthritis.

She was beloved by her grandchildren who have fond memories of Christmas celebrations and cookouts at Grammy and Papa’s house, as well as spending time in Grammy’s garden, having tea parties, cooking, and watching Disney movies.

She loved gardening, was an avid reader, and devoted to her beloved Australian Shepherd Champ. She also enjoyed cooking and made wonderful pies, beef tenderloin, potato casseroles, and green bean casseroles. Her specialty was delicious, deviled eggs. She also sometimes spent hours just reading through recipes.

Most important, she was a devout Christian, lived her life prayerfully, and worshipped at the Church of Christ on Fishinger Road. Because of health challenges over her last few years, she could not attend worship service regularly and truly regretted that.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Karen’s memory to: Willow Brook Christian Communities. Make checks payable to ‘Willow Brook Christian Communities’ and send to: Willow Brook at Delaware Run,100 Delaware Crossing West, Delaware, OH 43015 with ‘In Memory of Karen M. Irwin’ memo.