Obituary: Heidi Karn Barker

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7/27/1983 – 5/8/2022
Lawrence

Heidi Elizabeth Karn Barker, 38, of Lawrence died Sunday May 8th, 2022 at the University of Kansas Medical Center after a lifetime of exhibiting strength and perseverance. Heidi was born July 27th, 1983 at Lawrence, KS, the daughter of George and Tracie Karn. She was a 2001 graduate of McLouth High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Kansas in 2005. Heidi was also a longtime employee at The University of Kansas and was a proud Jayhawk. She was a lifetime member of the First Baptist Church of McLouth. Heidi was an avid reader, history buff, and a talented pianist. She was an adventurous traveler, lover of big dogs and fat cats, and cherished bringing joy to her loved ones, especially around the holidays.

Heidi was married to Bradley Ryan Barker on June 24th, 2006 after a courtship dating back to the second grade. In addition to her parents and husband, Heidi is survived by her sister, Michala, and she will be greatly missed by an extensive group of friends and family, who all agree that she was the strongest person they ever met.

A celebration of life was held for Heidi at the First Baptist Church of McLouth on Friday May 13th at 11am. In lieu of flowers the family encourages gifts be made in Heidi’s memory to the First Baptist Church of McLouth and to the Greater Kansas City Great Strides chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Barnett Family Funeral Home/Jefferson County Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.

Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.

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