Karen Dittrich Glaser

Karen Dittrich Glaser, a beloved wife and mother with a wry sense of humor who “never met a stranger,” died Wednesday, December 4, 2024. She was 82.

 Karen was born Sept. 13, 1942, in Paris, Illinois, to Oris and Kathryn Anderson. Karen graduated in 1960 from Thomas Carr Howe High School in Indianapolis and attended Ball State University before embarking on a 14-year career as an administrative assistant at the Carmel (Indiana) Mayor’s Office. She retired in 2010.

 She married longtime family friend Fredrick Glaser on April 10, 2000, in Las Vegas, and together they lived in their Carmel home for 24 years until her death. 

 Karen enjoyed art and dabbling in art, the iPad sketches and colorful metal rooster garden statues as testaments to both. She enjoyed traveling. A one-time volunteer with the Carmel Fire Department Auxiliary, she especially enjoyed the company of family and friends, and her outgoing personality showed. “She never met a stranger,” her husband, Fred, says.

 To know Karen was to appreciate Karen. Oh, that devilish sense of humor would brighten anyone’s day, punchlines so subtle and clever that they exposed the razor-sharp wit hidden behind the quiet demeanor. But beyond the laughs, Karen was a gift to those who knew her because her optimism on life was infectious and a reminder to cherish what we have and the ones we are with.

 Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Oris and Kathryn Anderson, and her sister, Susan (Anderson) Glaser.

 She is survived by her husband, Fredrick Glaser; step-son Troy (Carol) Glaser; niece Lisa Scott; nephew Chris (Lisa) Menton; grandsons Nicholas Scott and Brayden (Summer) Glaser; and granddaughter Kylie (Chad) Sellers. 

 Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Indiana Funeral Care at 8151 Allisonville Road in Indianapolis. A private memorial service will follow at a later date.

 In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Little Sisters of the Poor - Indianapolis or Riley Hospital for Children.