Karen E. Heck

Karen Elaine (Brant) Heck, 68, of Cumru Township, died May 28, 2012 in the Reading Hospital and Medical Center.

She was the wife of James Allen Heck, Sr., whom she married October 7, 1964.

Born in Ravenna, Ohio on September 17, 1943, she was a daughter of the late Thomas W. Brant and Mary A. (Wright) Brant-Donecker.

She was a 1961 graduate of Wilson High School.

Karen was employed 16 years as a phlebotomist at the West Lawn Lab for the Reading Hospital, last working in 2001.

She was well known and loved by the numerous patients she took care of at her lab. She knew all her patients by name as well as their family members and what was happening in their lives.

Karen would take homemade soup and bread pudding if they were sick and she and her husband would sometimes do odds and ends for those that needed it.

When she wasn't working she was driving the pickup with the tractor and mowers in tow to go meet my dad to mow lawns for people.

She never lead on to friends that she was sick, always smiling and making people laugh.

Karen is also survived by three children, Richard A., husband of Terri (Deren) Heck of South Heidelberg Township; James A., Jr., husband of Kelli (Estock) Heck of Centre Township and Bridget E. (Heck) Cortellessa of Cumru Township.

Other survivors include two siblings: Thomas W., husband of Jean M. Brant of Jefferson Township and Joanne (Brant) Bair of Fontana, California.

There are also four grandchildren: Athena Heck, Grayson Heck, Alex Cortellessa and Lily Cortellessa.

A viewing will be held Friday at 12 noon. Services will begin at 1:00 pm in Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., 739 Penn Ave., West Reading. A viewing will be held one hour prior to services.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, in her memory and in honor of her husband Jimmie, 498 Bellevue Ave., Reading, PA 19605.

For online condolences, visit www.kuhnfuneralhome.com