Did Karen play the organ? I sort of remember a student named Karen doing a
wonderful job playing the organ in the student talent shows,
sometime in the early 60's.
Marcia
From: msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Paul Nachtrieb
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2020 6:15 PM
To: msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [msb-alumni] Re: Kind of OT: Okemos native visits mom through window
during pandemic
How sad I new Karen a very nice person
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 26, 2020, at 4:56 PM, Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
This article discusses the daughter of Karen Evans (I think she used to be
Jerry Such's wife), who is blind and in a nursing home.
Steve
Okemos native visits mom through window during pandemic By Kara Berg Lansing
State Journal
STERLING HEIGHTS Deborah Parsons can't wait to hug her mother again. The Okemos
native just hopes that day comes before her mother forgets who Parsons is.
Parsons' mother, Karen Evans, has Alzheimer's and is living at an assisted
living home in Sterling Heights. Evans and Parsons have stayed apart, as both
are especially vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. "Every day we lose a little
more of her," Parsons said. "What's going to be left of her when I can hold her
again? She may not know who I am. Evans is also blind. They can't video chat
like many friends and family members have been doing to stay connected during
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay home order. Instead, Parsons and her family had a
short visit with her mother outside her window. Evans couldn't see they were
there, but she could hear them, Parsons said. "Mom, I'm right here," Parsons
said in the video. "My hand is right in front of your face. Evans pressed her
hand to the window in front of her face, just a few inches from Parson's hand.
Parsons was so close to the window her breath kept fogging the glass. The
experience was emotional, Parsons said. She tries not to think about what her
mother is missing when they talk, but it's hard when she knows her mom sees
with her hands, not her eyes. Evans doesn't recall much about the pandemic,
Parsons said. She has to frequently explain to her mother why they can't see
each other in person. Parsons lives in Sterling Heights and used to visit her
mother at Burcham Hills in East Lansing when she brought her daughter to visit
her father in Lansing. But once her daughter graduated high school, the drive
to East Lansing wasn't practical anymore. Now, Evans lives at an assisted
living facility in Sterling Heights, close enough for Parsons to visit every
day if she wants to, she said. She's glad she's not at Burcham Hills anymore,
as Evans lived on the third floor. A visit like the one she recorded would not
have been possible there. "You know you're going to lose a little piece of her
every day, so I want to make sure I have every day with her," Parsons said.
Evans worked at St. Lawrence Hospital before it became a part of Sparrow Health
Systems. She lived in Greater Lansing for most of her life. "It's heartbreaking
that she went from this incredibly strong, brilliant person, to this," Parsons
said. "I know it's what Alzheimer's does, but it's really hard.
