Karen J. Brinkman brightened this world in July 1963 and passed away in December 2023 peacefully and surrounded by loved ones. Karen got her roots in Greenwood, Indiana and took off from there. While never going far from home, she traveled extensively for work and play, and had a special love for Kauai, Hawaii.
Karen was proud of her work as an oncology nurse at St. Francis and St. Vincent, where she developed many close friendships with her patients, their families, and her colleagues.  For the last twenty-two years, Karen worked for Eli Lilly and Company. In her roles there, she brought the best of her experiences in quality and scientific excellence to advance many products that are helping patients today and she was known for her support for others and advancement of her team.
Karen loved textiles. She was a skilled spinner and weaver, taking raw wool and creating beautiful pieces of art. Recently, she channeled her creativity into "throwing clay", as she called it. She took to this new skill and quickly created pieces that she generously shared with many.
Karen's legacy is one of gentleness, compassion, and unadulterated kindness. She treated everyone with respect and patience and epitomized the spirit of inclusion. She was never without a smile, and she always put others before herself.
In addition to being a dedicated employee, a selfless friend, a skilled craftswoman, Karen was a loving wife. In 2011, she married the love of her life, Samer Lawand, and what a life they had. They traveled near and far to locations including China, Dubai, Lebanon, Australia, and Europe. Most recently, they spent time cruising Alaska capturing Orcas on video. She loved visiting her friend's alpaca farm and they enjoyed exploring new trails on their bikes.
Perhaps Karen's greatest love was her sweet Labradoodle, Bubbles. She was proud to share Bubbles' training successes, and even prouder to share pictures of Bubbles traveling the world in doggy daycare.
Karen is survived by her husband, Samer, her brother, John Brinkman and his family, and more friends than one can count. She was preceded in death by her father, George Henry Brinkman and her mother, Bessie Shirley.
Karen will be missed by everyone she touched. Friends are welcome to pay their respects on Friday, December 8 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Greenwood. Visitation will begin at 3:00pm and funeral services will begin at 3:30pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made, in Karen's name, to the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center https://cancer.iu.edu/
Her family and friends would like to thank the teams at Community Health Network, Simon Cancer Center, and Life's Journey Hospice for their care.