Karen L. VanDuyne, age 74, of Essex, Illinois passed away Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at Lightways Hospice Home after a short-term battle with pancreatic cancer. Born April 29, 1948 in Kankakee, Illinois, she graduated from Reddick High School with the class of 1966. She married Leonard VanDuyne May 29, 1970 in St. Rose Catholic Church, Wilmington, Illinois. Together they made their home in Essex, where they raised two beautiful daughters. Karen retired from Caterpillar, Inc. in Joliet, Illinois, after 36 years of employment. She was a very involved and active member of the First Christian Church in Morris, Illinois. Karen had a passion for cooking and baking. She spread her love to people through her wonderful cooking. She had a niche for crafting of all kinds, one of her proudest crafts was scrapbooking recipe books for her family that they will forever cherish. Surviving are her mother, Doris (nee Lewis) Hagberg of Essex; husband of 52 years, Leonard “Lenny” VanDuyne of Essex; two daughters, Kathy (Brian) Eller of St. James, Missouri, and Krista (Bobby) Freeman of Bluffton, South Carolina; six grandchildren: Abigail Eller, Chloe Eller, Sydney Freeman, Peyton Freeman, William Eller, and Savanna Freeman. One sister, Nancy (William) Lundgren of South Wilmington, Illinois; one brother, Jeffery (Monica) Hagberg of Essex; and many dear nieces, nephews and their families also survive. She was preceded in death by her father, Oliver Franz Hagberg. Visitation for Karen will be at the R. W. Patterson Funeral Home &  Crematory, Braid-wood, Thursday, July 14, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of funeral services at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in her name may be directed to the charity of the donor’s choice. For more information and to visit her online guestbook, please log on to rwpattersonfuneralhomes.com or find us on Facebook.

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