Karen K. Marino

Karen Marino passed away November 23, 2024, at Ignite Medical Resort of McHenry. She was born at Sherman Hospital of Elgin on June 4th, 1954, the second child of Andre and Mildred (Netzeband) Butenschoen. Karen grew up in Palatine, Illinois, followed by moving to Minnesota with her first husband, where her first child, Lukas, was born. She later returned to Illinois, where she met Frank Marino. The two were married and after a period moved out to Huntley in 1986 where her second child, Jake, was born. Karen was a hardworking, caring, yet humble soul, positively affecting anyone she came across. Throughout the years she worked for Computoservice in Mankato, MN, followed by the floral department at Jewel in Palatine, eventually taking her arrangement skills to Huntley Floral where she worked for around two decades. Although she enjoyed designing floral arrangements, she loved delivering the flowers to the residents and businesses in Huntley and the surrounding communities. Volunteering was also a passion of Karen’s. She was known to help the high school marching band, as well as other high school activities, however one of her greatest volunteering joys came from her time at Cowboy Dreams of Barrington. A program that provided therapeutic horseback riding for special needs children, Karen volunteered with the group as a guide alongside the horses from the program’s inception until it ceased operation. In her later years she continued her work with special needs children by becoming a bus aid on a special needs bus route for School District 158, working for the district for a decade before her health forced her retirement. Karen loved traveling, including numerous trips out to Colorado, North Dakota, Nevada, and Wisconsin. She adored being outdoors hiking, enjoying nature, or working in the garden. After retirement she enjoyed taking care of her flowers and property, and even as her health declined she could still be seen daily walking around her yard pulling dandelions. She always enjoyed talking to neighbors or giving warm greetings to passers-by. She will be forever missed by her family, whom she held so dear, and friends who shared such fond memories of her. She is survived by her sons, Lukas (Cortney) Erickson and Jake (Leticia) Marino, her step-kids, Cheryl (Bill) Nolan, Frank (Lisa) Marino, and Kristi (John Lavan) Marino, her grandkids, Raina, Rorik, Frankie, Anthony, Billy, Ryan, Allie, and Johnny, and her sister, Audrey (Butenschoen) Loveall. She was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her husband, Frank, who passed in 2001. Visitation will be held at James A. O’Connor Funeral Home on Saturday, December 7th, from 2 PM to 5 PM, with a short ceremony to immediately follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dreamriders TLC of Crystal Lake

Karen K. Marino

June 4, 1954 - November 23, 2024