Karen I. Adams

Karen Adams, 58, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2009, at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland. A celebration of Karens life is being planned and will take place at a time to be announced. A private memorial is being held at St. Johns Episcopal Church. The family is being served by the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., Mt. Pleasant. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the new Education and Human Services Building at Central Michigan University. Checks made payable to CMU may be sent to the Carlin Alumni House, CMU, Mt. Pleasant MI 48859. Karen was born Oct. 10, 1950, in Dallas, TX, the daughter of the late Lunsford G. and Joy (Ingle) Adams. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas and received her B.A. from the University of Texas. She continued her education at the University of Virginia where she obtained three M.A. degrees. She ultimately received her Ed. D. from the University of South Carolina. Since 2003, Karen has been the Dean of College of Education and Human Services at CMU. Prior to that she was the Dean of Education, Health and Human Services at Western Kentucky and earlier, the Dean of College of Education at Tennessee Tech. She was president of the Michigan Education Deans Council, a member of Art Reach, Advisory Board Member at MidMichigan Health Park, and belonged to many other academic and educational groups. She also co-hosted a show on public radio with Sue Ann Martin called Childrens Books-The Deans List. Karen loved traveling and visited 104 countries, often collecting artifacts from each trip. She also enjoyed biking, reading, and knitting.Karen is survived by her partner, Linda Ferreira of Mt. Pleasant; sister, Julie (Mark) Mobley of Canton, GA; Lindas children, Lisa (Paul) Wasson of Portland, OR, Sabra Ferreira of Cheverly, MD, and Shireen Ferreira of Washington D.C.; four grandchildren, Rasheed and Larry Ferreira and Ben and Sophie Wasson; her standard poodle, Ju Ju; and many friends who will miss her.