Karen Thebeau Memories & Stories

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Molly McAvin

“Holy Moly Guacamole!

I met Karen a few months before she passed and was honored that she let me stick around and care for her plus prepare her meals, which for the last week of being with her consisted of guacamole, chips, and more guacamole.

In the short time I knew Karen, she taught me so much, most of all how to relax slow down and go with the flow which was hard for me because I never stop going. She may not have known the effect her energy had on me, and how she never was negative and had a great attitude about life. Even when she wasn’t able to get out of bed, she and I were determined that we could do it and gosh darn it, if it took us an hour and we both were sweating our butts off we ended up getting her up and giving each other high fives afterward.

But I have to say my best memory was a few weeks before she passed. We took a little ride in her beloved Jeep. Karen and Liz were so kind to let me borrow the Jeep while my car was being fixed and one night I came in and she wanted to go outside to see the Jeep.

So Kate and I got her all bundled up and rolled her downstairs and outside to look at it and as we were sitting there freezing we thought hey we got this far, let’s go for a ride! So Kate and I got her in the passenger’s seat and we said goodbye to Kate who was a little worried I would have trouble getting Karen out and back upstairs but it was no problem at all.

And we were off, down Clayton Road we went to explore. Along the way, Karen pointed out places such as where she used to live, restaurants and then we went to the BP to see Dennis the mechanic that took such good care of her 1993 Jeep for so many years. Dennis and Karen chatted for a little bit and she wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly with the Jeep to be safe. We said goodbye to Dennis and headed back to the Dorchester, I asked what CDs she had and she mentioned Last Of The Mohicans Soundtrack.  I love that movie and turned on the CD player and there it was!

It began to play and started off slow and got more intense and Karen said she loved it because it was like the song was pumping you up for war or battle and it really does. So we then got back to the Dorchester and I got her out of Jeep and back upstairs and made some guacamole for us. I will never forget the look on her face and how excited she was to be outside and in her Jeep after weeks of being stuck inside, and I am lucky that I got to share that experience with her.

We miss you very much Karen and your Jeep is in good hands shining just like you did every day!”

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Mary Burke

We were neighbors of Karen, Gerald, and Dorothy for 15 years. Karen always was so kind to my boys and always hired them for small jobs like cleaning up sticks in the yard. She overlooked the fact that they missed 90% of the sticks and always was so sweet and grateful for their help. She didn’t mind the balls that were accidentally thrown into her yard nor did she mind the tennis ball that hit the roof, rolled into the gutter and ended up in the downspout! She had so much patience! Her intelligence and dry wit were wonderful! And, of course, so were her pound cakes. She tried to show me how to make one but mine never turned out as good as hers. She was a lovely, warm, strong, honest and real person – comfortable in her own skin and fair and even with everyone she met. We loved her and miss her. But most of all, we are grateful we have known her!

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Ann Mandelstamm

“I first met Karen in college, at St. Louis University, and I met Gerald at about the same time. They were both in the Business school, which intimidated me quite a bit! We saw each other rarely until a series of events a few years ago brought us together and Karen told me, “I always wished we could be friends back in our college days.” I was surprised, honored and touched, so I replied, “Well, let’s be friends right now.”

The very first time we went to dinner together, my car broke down on the way, in a driving rainstorm, and she had to come to pick me up! We had a great time anyway. She was such a good sport.

We started doing a few things, mostly around music and theater, but I quickly learned that quirky theater might not be her great love! I so enjoyed her wonderful good nature and sense of adventure. I was especially thrilled to see the pictures of her fishing on the boat, as she was DETERMINED to go fishing with her family, no matter what. And she did! She adored her children, their spouses, her sister, and her grandchildren. I loved Karen and enjoyed being reconnected with her the last few years. Lucky me!”

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Mitzi M Laws

“Karen was a huge, loving, inquisitive part of our ‘Canadian Book Club’ for years. I really don’t know how long, just long before me. I loved her comments, her presence and she was a true friend. We will miss her greatly!”

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Patty Heidger

“Karen and I started out in real estate at Blake & Davis – I think it was 1987. The first word that comes to mind in describing her is unflappable. And in the real estate world that is quite an asset! We spent much of our days back then literally in the office – not like today. We’d usually go exploring in our downtime and I introduced her to many of my favorite re-sell-it shops, often finding ourselves in south city shops. We often scored at what was Alexander’s on Meramec just east of Grand – nothing was priced so you’d best befriend the owner – and we did.

Back in those days Blake & Davis was such a wonderful collection of near Runyanesque characters and we, of course, counted ourselves among the funniest. I moved on to a different broker after about 5 years and after that, we only had sporadic meets. The last one was at (former B&D manager) Jane Lang’s funeral in the Spring of ‘17. We talked again when she and Dorothy were moving into the Dorchester but never got around to lunch again. Oh well, Alexander’s is closed now anyway. R.I.P., dear Karen.”

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Chuck Hussung

“When I started thinking about Karen and the particular flavor she brought to those of us who love her, the first phrase that came to mind was “no-fuss,” but I quickly amended the thought. Karen didn’t fuss about herself and didn’t want lots of fussing from others, but she took great delight in fussing over those she loved.

I can think of a number of examples throughout the years, but the most vivid is quite recent. One day last summer, Karen scheduled a visit to come and see Marsha, whose life had been so constrained by her brain tumor. Karen showed up with a large bag of what turned out to be nine stuffed cheetahs—nine! A mother cheetah and eight kits.

On the last day Marsha and Karen spent together before Marsha got sick, they had gone to the zoo to see the mother cheetah and her eight babies. Since she and Marsha had seen nine cheetahs, Karen was not going to be satisfied with giving any fewer than nine cheetahs to Marsha. “We can’t break up the litter,” she said with great amusement. In my mind, that gift of cheetah after cheetah after cheetah (times three!) is emblematic of Karen’s generosity, which showed itself to Marsha and me so many times over the years since we first met her as our real estate agent in 1989.

She was also our agent in 1998-99 when we were looking for a larger house. As I was driving Karen and Marsha to see a new place, I asked when she got started as an agent. “Well, frankly,” she began. I’ll interrupt here to say that I observed long ago, that sentences that begin with the word ‘frankly’ rarely lead to frankness. In this case, however, it did. “Well, frankly,” Karen said, “you were my first clients.” This was a delightful surprise—amusing to us that we never suspected and delightful because we’d been so happy with how carefully and patiently she walked us through a really stressful transition from renting to buying—with subpoenas and small-claims court and such messiness.

I’ll finish by saying how grateful I am for the visit Karen and Liz made on the day before Marsha died. She was so weary that day, but not too weary to give and receive love. When all your strength is nearly gone, there’s no better way than that to spend what’s left. Thank you, Karen, for taking such good care of us for all these years.”

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Maggy Malcolm, Marie Malcolm, and Julie the Cat

“Karen was my Canadian Culture sister, my Coldwell Banker agent friend, Sunday Brunch with my mother, Marie, dining friend, and all around “will go with you on any adventure” friend. Her smile lit up the room and her sense of humor was appreciated.

My world was better because of Karen and her love of life and celebrating it: Ike’s birthday parties, Canada Book Club meetings at her home in front of the big fireplace with wood logs burning brightly, Happy Hour, Coldwell Banker birthday parties, July 1st Canada Day parties at Elizabeth Loeb’s, and Karen swimming while Gerald carried on conversations smoking his pipe, and so many more events.

I talk to her now and share funny things with her which only she and I shared together so our friendship carries on.”

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Kathleen Farrelly

“I was so glad that I called Karen on her birthday after seeing [a] picture on FB. I am filled with memories going back 50 years of Carol’s great friend, Karen, and the many exciting adventures we shared.

My first memory of Karen is from the late 60s when she arrived at the Lindquist Farm, where I lived with her good friend, Carol. Karen was carrying baby John very carefully down a long grassy yard from the rocky parking spot.

Carol, who had been Karen’s friend at St. Louis U., had told me many stories about Karen during college and also staying with her and Gerald in a frame house in Granite City. 

They had already launched into many days of cooking meals and dishes in the Julia Child manner, a project Carol and Karen continued in St. Louis.

Karen lent us her vintage Cadillac to go searching for a farm in the Ozarks, which we found in one day.

For many, many years whenever Carol, Cordelia and I went to St. Louis we visited the Thebeau’s at their brick house near Wash. U. Somehow the tradition evolved [to] Christmas Eve Eve at the Thebeau’s. I will never forget Karen and Gerald’s generous presents, the most lasting of which I use daily: a complete set of Noritake china and cutlery to match.

Karen had a very adventurous spirit. One example is a late, humid summer afternoon when we went to capture bees from a beekeeper that Karen knew in East St. Louis. The atmosphere was polluted with factories spewing out poisonous fumes, seemingly creating a very angry swarm of ferocious bees. Needless to say, we didn’t get any bees.

Karen was very open-minded and accepting of mankind’s idiosyncrasies.  One time Karen was nonplussed at visiting a really weird couple we had befriended near our farm in Dora — Tatiana, a Russian emigree, and George writing a book on UFOs. They lived in a metal barn, divided into rooms by drooping, dusty sheets of plastic with strange decor, such as a giant stalk of sunflowers drooping out of a drawer and jars of stuff in the kitchen area that looked like poop. Karen was so generous that she let Tatiana, suffering from cancer, stay at her house one evening and drove her to the airport the next day so that the Russian lady could spend time with her daughter in France.

During our years at the farm in Dora, it became an annual holiday site for Karen and Dorothy and John. Much later John began to visit yearly in Oct., bringing Karen with him. We had such fun making guacamole, John barbecuing and all of us sitting out in the dark singing and drinking beer.

This incident happened early in our farm days. Rabbits were hopping all over the place, eating our recently planted garden. Karen said, ‘where’s the gun? I’ll shoot them. I hate rabbits.’ And she did shoot at least 3 or 4. We were not bothered by rabbits for decades.

It was wonderful for Carol, Cordelia and me to be a part of the Thebeau family. This recounting is, of course, the tip of the iceberg of many happy memories of the warmth, support, and friendship we shared with them.”

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Elaine Behrmann

“Loved seeing these great photos of a dear and special friend.”

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Dan, Annette, Macy, Jasmine and Gretel O’Donnell

“Dear Liz, Tim, Madeleine, Charlie and Olivia and family,

Please accept our heartfelt condolences for the loss of your
Mom and Grandma.

She must have been a great woman based on how great you
all are.

Sending warm thoughts and prayers.”

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Sharon Klein

“We affectionately refer to this group as some members of  ‘The real estate sisterhood’. Karen will be remembered as hosting the entire CB office at The Ritz Carleton for holiday cocktails. Great memories!”

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Lisa Hatton

“Beautiful photos! A wonderful gracious woman! I’ll miss her!”

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Elizabeth Loeb