Karen Elaine (Cooney) Breese
Karen Elaine (Cooney) Breese was born on April 22,1944 to Ruth (Eichhorn) Cooney and Charles Emmet Cooney and became our guardian angel on June 16, 2025. She was surrounded by the love and support of her family and friends from near and far.
A Villa Maria graduate, Karen married her Cathedral Prep graduate sweetheart, Thomas Breese, on June 25,1966 at St. Matthews in the Woods in Erie, PA. The newlyweds made the cross-country move to begin their life in Pasadena, CA and even appeared on the Newlywed Game within their first year of marriage. Tom and Karen returned to Erie in 1977 where they raised three lovely daughters: Jennifer (Chris), Emily (Wesley), and Katherine (Chad), and loved their grandchildren, Caroline, Katrina, Lottie, Charlie, and many family pets and grandpets that wagged their way into the family’s hearts throughout the years.
Karen was a lover of birds, flowers, music, ladybugs, and animals. She was a beautiful, hilarious, and loving daughter, sister (Robin, Chris, Dan), wife, mama, and nana. We will miss her contagious laugh, bright smile, and silly sayings dearly. “Wherever you go, there you are,“ Karen Elaine. We love you always and forever and ever, Amen. XOXOX Sail On, Silver Girl, This One’s For You.
The family will be celebrating Karen’s life with a private service. In her honor, we would love it if you would plant Forget-me-nots or consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association or Fairview Manor, a facility where she lived out the final year of her life and received such wonderful care from their hardworking and big-hearted staff.