Karen Lee (Coblentz) Purdy

Karen Lee Purdy (nee Coblentz, formerly Mitchell), 81, of Tipp City, Ohio passed away peacefully at Hospice of Ohio, in Dayton, on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026. In her final days, she was surrounded by her family, and with her husband, Robert C. Purdy, also of Tipp City, Ohio.

Karen lived a life of service until the very end of her time on this earth. Up until the time of her passing she was a full time, in-home caregiver for her husband Robert C. Purdy. Long before that, Karen decided on a career in nursing and graduated Nursing School at Springfield City Hospital (later, Community Hospital) in 1967. She proudly worked as a nurse, and maintained her RN degree via continuing education for more than 40 years. Among the places Karen was employed, were Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Dayton, Community Hospital in Springfield, Wyandotte Hospital in Wyandotte Michigan, as well as for several physicians in private practices throughout Ohio and Michigan.

While continuing to carry her RN degree, in later years Karen worked in home health care, touching the lives of countless patients. After many years of service in home heath, she found a place for herself and her “gift-of-the-gab” in pharmaceutical sales, where she excelled to the point of being one of the Top Ten pharmaceutical sales representatives in the NATION for several years in a row, while employed with Bausch & Lomb, and then Ciba Geigy pharmaceuticals.

Even as she exceeded sales goals and expectations at work, Karen continued to support her two children, Lauren Mitchell and Spencer Mitchell, with their schooling, as well as many extracurricular activities they were both involved in.

Karen is survived by her husband of 27 years, Robert C. Purdy, her two children, mentioned above, Lauren and Spencer Mitchell, her sister Sandra Winkey (Coblentz), Brother-in-Law James Winkey, two nieces Heather Guisinger (Winkey) and Amy Sexton (Winkey), and two Great-Nieces, Emily and Hannah Guisinger. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fredrick Coblentz and Goldie Coblentz (Koogler).

Karen’s final wishes were that no memorial service be held, but that donations be made on her behalf to either The Player’s Guild Theatre of Canton, Ohio, or the Stark County Humane Society.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Jones-Kenney-Zechman Funeral Home. Condolences may be shared online at www.jkzfh.com.

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