Karen Webb Raley

Karen Webb Raley passed away on Wed., Aug. 30, 2023, with her family by her side in her Delmar home. She was just weeks shy of her 65th birthday. Karen never met a stranger. Each day she set out to brighten the lives of those around her. With her radiant smile she invited others to share the joy God had placed in her heart. So, it was not unusual to find her listening to a new friend, offering encouragement or prayer, and generally doing all she could to ease his burden. She loved people and oozed compassion, especially for the downtrodden, the lonely and the hurting. Her nurturing nature never took a holiday, and the life of Jesus flowed thru her to those within her orbit. Karen loved worshiping at her church. She loved going out to eat with family and friends. She loved her many pets. She loved the Christmas season, (and insisted that the best yuletide movie ever was Diehard.) She loved to tease and be teased, to laugh and crack jokes. She loved to watch Lance play basketball, or Michelle sing karaoke. She loved the beauty of God’s creation and the creative energy He inspires in His children. Her own gifts included painting and decorating – at which she excelled. (She was also an accomplished shopper and a fan of Home Goods!) More than anything, Karen loved her family. Her children and grandchildren meant the world to her. Spending time with them was priority one. She could never get enough. That’s the chief reason she battled so courageously against leukemia – she craved more time with her loved ones. Though we longed for that as well, we rejoice that God spared her the agony so many other cancer patients suffer and granted her a peaceful entrance into His everlasting kingdom. Karen was preceded in death by her first husband, Burt Culver, by her parents, Harold and Doris Webb, by a sister, Terry Layton, and by her father-in-law, Joseph Raley, Jr. She now waits in patient expectation to greet those she left behind: her husband, Steve; her children, Lance Culver (Angie) and Michelle Raley (Brian); her grandchildren: Zach, Derek & Madison Culver; her siblings: Harold, Webb, Jr. (Melissa), Cathy Mariner (Rob), Jack Webb (Sharon) and Sam Webb; along with many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at Community Christian Church, 6400 Culver Rd., Salisbury on Thurs., Sept. 7, beginning with visitation at 10 and funeral at noon. A brief graveside service at Line Methodist Church, Delmar, will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to The Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Foundation at www.lls.org/ways-to-give. Arrangements are in the care of Short Funeral Home in Delmar. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.shortfh.com.

Karen Webb Raley

September 20, 1958 - August 30, 2023