Karen L O'Neil

Karen Leone O’Neil

Karen (Morrill) O’Neil of Coon Rapids, MN passed away on Sunday, February 9th at home surrounded by her three adoring daughters.

It has been said that a mother’s purpose is to “bind” the family together, holding them together individually and collectively through her love and actions.

Our mom was the glue that kept our family together and we were her priority. She wasn’t the life of the party and didn’t need a lot of attention (that was dad’s role). She was the party planner, cheerleader (figuratively and literally) coach, teacher, seamstress, nurse, chef, baker and anything else we needed her to be. Mom loved to spend time with friends and family and didn’t like to miss out on any fun. Her laugh and smile will be remembered and missed by all that knew her.

Karen was born on March 8, 1942, to Floyd Morrill and Carol Morrill (Crogness) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She grew up and went to school in Robbinsdale with her sister and brother. Karen was an avid sports fan and was thrilled to be a part of the cheerleading squad throughout high school. She was the squad captain during her senior year and most enjoyed cheering for the hockey team on ice skates.

Karen and Mike both went to Robbinsdale High School but “ran with different crowds” as dad would say and they didn’t start dating until dad crashed a party at mom’s house after high school.

Karen and Mike were married in Robbinsdale on August 17, 1963. After they were married, they lived in California, then in Alaska where Mike was stationed in the Army.

Karen and Mike returned to Minnesota and raised their three daughters, in the Andover/Anoka area.

Karen was like most mom’s back then and didn’t work outside the home. She was the true definition of a stay-at-home mom. She always made sure we had home cooked meals together. She kept a spotless house and a beautiful yard. When we were young, she had a garden, and even took cake decorating classes so she could make fancy cakes for our birthdays. She made us do a few of our own chores like making our beds before school every day and cleaning our rooms every week, but she also kept us entertained with crafts and games. Mom was very active at church and volunteered at our school.

Karen worked at a couple of part time jobs as we got older and eventually worked as a Banker at National City Bank in downtown Minneapolis until Mike was transferred to Nevada then to California. We loved our visits to their place in California but were glad when they retired and moved home, and mom was too so she could get back to what she loved most – her kids and grandkids.

During retirement, Karen spent most weekends at her seasonal place on Mille Lacs Lake where she met many new friends and loved to play cards and dice games and go on pontoon rides.

Karen is survived by her daughters Colleen (Kurt) Blom, Bonnie (Tom) Gallagher and Kelli O'Neil along with her brother Bruce Morrill and sister Janet McCoy. She is also survived by her grandchildren Cody, Jessica, and Allison (Kurtis). She was so proud of her children and grandchildren and loved them beyond measure.

It brings us comfort to know that Karen is once again with her husband, Mike, her granddaughter, Carolyn Gallagher and her parents.

There will be a gathering for family and friends to share their memories of Karen at the Anoka Legion, POST 102, 400 West Main Street, Anoka, MN 55303 on Sunday, April 6th from 11am to 2pm.