Obituary
Karen Anne Sproles Janota, 76, of Lecanto, FL passed on to her heavenly home on January 13, 2024. She was born September 2, 1947, in Asheville, NC and raised in the Charlotte, NC area. She was preceded in death by her parents, James Sproles III, and Jeanne Harris Sproles, and her brother, James (Jimmy) Sproles.
Karen graduated from Morristown High School in 1965, then attended and graduated college from University of Tennessee in 1970 with a BA degree. She also later attended Stetson University and received a master’s degree in educational leadership in 1980. She was a long-time educator, starting in South Carolina then moving to Hernando County at Brooksville Junior High school but most of her years in Citrus County at Crystal River High School, retiring in 2008. She served as an English Dept. Chair, and also started a Drop-out Prevention Program there. She held leadership positions with the Citrus County Education Association.
Karen was a member of Crystal River United Methodist Church, now Crystal River Community Church-a Global Methodist church. She was active with the Methodist Women’s group, but loved singing on the Praise Team for many years. She was involved with the Stephen ministry, the Aldersgate Emmaus Community, the Academy of Spiritual Formation, and the Order of St. Luke’s. She was also proud of her Scottish heritage and did much research on her ancestry. She was part of Clan Frazer and Clan Cameron.
She was survived by her son, James “Jay” Joseph Janota and wife Catherine (Garnier), grand-children, Christopher James “CJ” and Amelia Joleene “Mia”. She also leaves her cherished pet, Hershey.
Karen’s Celebration of Life will be on February 10th, 2024, at 11 AM at Crystal River Community Church, 4801 N Citrus Ave., Crystal River, FL 34428. It will also be streamed through their Facebook page. There will be a reception/lunch following the service for family and friends.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Karen’s memory to Crystal River Community Church, https://www.crumc.com or to Aldersgate Emmaus scholarship fund, https://www.aldersgateemmaus.org, or to a charity of your choice. Baldwin Brothers Funeral and Cremation will be handling her arrangements.
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