Karen McAward was a caring Mother, Mema,
Great-Mema, sister, and friend. She passed
after a valiant battle with Covid-19 on
December 31, 2020 at the age of 72 surrounded
by family.
She will be lovingly remembered by her
daughters: Dianne McAward-DeLeon (Ricardo),
Christine Cothran, and Michele Nabonne (Joe);
grandchildren: Megan Smith (Alex), Brittany
Allen (Daniel), Lexi DeLeon, Jay Cothran (Zoe),
and Sylvia Nabonne. Step-grandchildren:
Viridiana DeLeon (Pablo), Adriana DeLeon,
Maria Fernanda DeLeon (Ivan), and Brandi
Nabonne. She had two great-grandchildren
Lillianne Smith and Andrew Allen.
She was predeceased by her loving husband,
James “Jimmy” McAward, her parents Julius
and Muriel Lanzello, as well as her twin brother
Ritchie, and brothers Michael, and Joe.
Becoming a widow at the young age of 36,
Karen, a homemaker, went to work as a
provisional employee at American Airlines. She
was a hard worker and worked her way up to
management, became the first female buyer of
airplane parts in American Airlines history, and
worked in Warranty Services.
She never remarried, or even dated, and set a
wonderful example of courage and strength for
her daughters. She loved deeply and she will be
greatly missed.
Our family wishes to send a special thank you to
the staff at Saint Francis South Hospital in Tulsa,
OK for their care and compassion.
A memorial service held in Karen’s honor will
live-stream on Thursday, January 14, at 4:00 pm central .
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Karen Ann McAward, please visit our floral store.