Karen Schaumann Di Nardo - Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory

Karen Schaumann Di Nardo

Born June 2, 1938

Karen Schaumann Di Nardo, 75 of Salt Lake City, UT and formerly of East Rutherford, NJ, passed away January 17, 2014 from complications of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Born on June 2, 1938, she was the daughter of Holger and Lavinia Schaumann.

Karen was born at the Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, DE, and grew up in Newark, DE. She graduated from Newark High School in 1956 and Gettysburg College in 1960.

During the 1960’s, Karen lived in New York City and studied the performing arts, including acting, singing and dancing. After receiving her MS degree in Library Science from the University of Kentucky in 1974, she took the position of children’s department librarian in Vineland, NJ, from 1974 to 1986 when she became the head librarian in East Rutherford, NJ. She continued there until her retirement in 2009. As her ALS symptoms progressed, Karen moved to Salt Lake City to be closer to her son’s family.

Karen was a long time member of the Puppeteers of America and maintained a business of performing children’s puppet shows at schools, libraries, and private parties during her entire library career and for several years after retiring.

She was a member of the Community of God’s Love in Rutherford, NJ.

In addition to her parents, Karen was preceded in death by two brothers, Carl Schaumann of Aiken, SC, and Erik Schaumann of Wilmington, DE.

She is survived by her son, Thomas Di Nardo and his wife, Tracy Di Nardo, and two grandchildren, Alessandra and Kai of Key Largo, FL and Salt Lake City, UT, and her brother, R. Kai Schaumann of Palm Coast, FL.

Mass of Christian Burial will be offered 11:00 am on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE, where friends may call from 9:30 am until 10:45 am. Interment will follow at Head of Christiana Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the ALS Association, Development Department, 1275 K Street, NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005.

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4 Condolences for Karen Schaumann Di Nardo

  • Tom,
    Your mother was a wonderful and gently person who will be missed by me and all the members of the Community of God’s Love. May she rest in peace

  • My family and I send our condolences and share our hope found in John5:28,29.

  • Tom, your mother was a wonderful woman, and we will miss her very much. We are traveling, or we would have been at her funeral. We at the Community of God’s Love will not forget her. Tom and Eleanore

  • Tom, your mother was a dear friend of mine and my family. She was beautiful inside and out and we all loved her so. We feel blessed to have known her. She will truly be missed by all of us at the Community of God’s Love. Barbara, Bill, Tim and Patty Ann