Karen Lynn Claypole, age 75, left this world to rejoin her husband, Neal Claypole on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
She was born on May 6, 1951 to Wes and Ruth Parcel in Ottumwa, Iowa. Later that year, she was lovingly adopted by Leroy and Imogene Tipton.
Karen was a spelling bee champion, before graduating from Ruskin High School in Hickman Mills, Missouri in 1969.
That same year, she moved to California where she married Luther Dean Wessley in November. Together they celebrated the births of two sons, Daniel and Matthew.
She later remarried in January of 1978 to Neal Claypole, and welcomed a daughter, Allison, to their family, which included Neal’s children from his previous marriage – Janet, Scott, and Chris.
In life, Karen worked for Creditors Exchange as a creditor for five years, before operating a printing company with her husband, Neal.
She was a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, enjoyed her westerns and her coffee. Karen also spent time reading true crime novels, even having opportunity to meet one of her favorite authors.
Before leaving this life, Karen was able to find and connect with her biological siblings.
Karen was preceded in death by her son, Daniel; father, Leroy; mother, Imogene; husband, Neal; and step-son, Scott.
She is survived by her children, Matthew (Theresa) Wessley, and Allison (Heath) Ratliff; step-children, Janet (Tom Bielefeldt), Chris (Donna) Claypole, and Denise (wife of the late Scott) Claypole, as well as four grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at 10 to 10:30 a.m. the morning of Friday, August 14, 2026, at Bross & Spidle Funeral Home in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, followed by 11:00 a.m. graveside service and burial at Crown Hill Cemetery in Excelsior Springs.
Karen will always be remembered for her feisty spirit and the way she would look at you – one eyebrow raised and her finger pointing to remind you of what’s what.
Her legacy will continue through her children, whose temperament she would say “they come by that honest”.
