Karen Ann (Skaggs) Phelps

Karen Ann (Skaggs) Phelps, late of Eldorado, Illinois, died at Ferrell Hospital on July 8, 2017. She was born on December 16, 1940, to the late Charles and Ethelina Skaggs. On February 13, 1981, she married Davis (“D.A.”) Phelps, who predeceased her. Karen was truly a unique person to all who knew her. Karen was retired from Egyptian Health Department, where she was the director of mental health services. She was beloved by her co-workers and others who encountered her there. She was a Harrisburg Bulldog at heart, and she cherished her high school classmates. Karen was a huge fan of community theater, and she directed and starred in many local productions. She was a prolific writer and a fan of geneaology, which led her to research, write and publish a book about her family’s heritage and ancestry. She was an avid antique doll collector among many other interests. She is survived by five children: Martha (Joey) Williams of Yukon, Oklahoma, Sally (Larry) Callahan of Mustang, Oklahoma, Joe (Amy) Weinstock of Calabasas, California, Susan Devlin of Dallas, Texas and Emily Ratcliff of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and her brother, Charles Skaggs of Harrisburg. She is also survived by her friend and angel on earth, Camille Lambert. Visitation will be on Monday, July 10, 2017, from 4:00 -7:00 p.m. at Colonial Terrace Funeral Home in Eldorado. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home with the Rev. Scott Pilkington presiding. Interment will be at Sunset Lawn Cemetery in Harrisburg.

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