Karen Piplani

Karen Piplani died peacefully at home in Chapel Hill, NC on Feb 15, 2026, after a long illness. She was with her daughter, Mira, and husband, Ratan (Ray), at the time of her passing.



She was born in 1941 to Christian Elmore Radcliffe, MD and Maxine Madden Radcliffe in Iowa City, Iowa. She graduated from Iowa City High School in 1959. She graduated from Duchess Community College, Poughkeepsie NY with an AAS in 1977, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill with a BS in 1988.



She married Ray in 1961 and they celebrated their 65th anniversary in early February with her favorite Red Velvet cake.



She worked as a Registered Nurse in New York State and North Carolina. She enjoyed her time working for Eleanor Kane MD, in Poughkeepsie NY and Village Family Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC.



She raised her children in Poughkeepsie, NY. She served as a den mother, brownie troop leader, and was active in school activities, including carpooling for the RCK track team. She moved to Chapel Hill, NC in 1983.



In her retirement years she served as an Orange County, NC election official. She was active in the American Association of University Women. She was an avid birder and enjoyed participating in the Chapel Hill Bird Club's field trips and bird surveys.



Karen played the cello and had a deep love of baroque and string music. She loved going to chamber music concerts at Tanglewood and Duke University and played for the Village Orchestra. She was a quilter and knitter and enjoyed collecting fabric and yarn. She was a voracious reader and belonged to several book clubs.



She is survived by her husband Ratan/Ray, daughter Mira, and son Michael (Dakota Dunes, SD- Susanne), grandsons Nicholas Piplani (Rochester, MN- Heidi) Christopher Piplani (Burnsville, MN -Kayla), granddaughter Tracy Piplani (Lowell, MA- Jose Villalobos) and 5 great grandchildren and her sister Marnie Radcliffe (Eden Park, MN). She is predeceased by her parents and sister Christine Radcliffe.



A celebration of life will be held at a date in the future. The family asks that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to the Chapel Hill Bird Club.