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February 16, 2022Who knew that four simple words was all that it takes to create a lifetime of happiness?
For John Chiles, he wasn’t aware it was that simple. Until he met Karen.
After uttering a concerned, “how are you doing?” to Karen on a day she seemed unlike herself, their story took off.
A few days later, John and Karen were on their first date. “The rest is history,” John said.
He is forever grateful that his small, but momentous question led to years of magic together.
Married for 24 years now, John and Karen are celebrating their youngest daughter graduating college as well as the birth of their second grandchild.
John’s admiration for Karen is endless. But her love for her friends, family and animals is incomparable, he said. Not only does the pair share three daughters and two grandchildren, but they have four cats as well, Little Bit, Bella, Kalesie and Walker (AKA Nugget).
Karen’s enormous heart and the love and support she has for all of the people and things in her life amazes John every single day. “She is always wanting to help,” John said.
That’s why, the moment he locked eyes on her after undergoing his surgery was one of his favorite memories with Karen. “She is there to support me,” he said.
But John is always there to reciprocate the love and support she shares with him. “I work as hard as I can to get home as soon as I can so I can see her and tell her about my day,” he said. At heart, Karen elevates him and inspires him to be a great person.
And together, they have shared incredible memories.
One memory in particular involved viewing a rainbow together. Seeing rainbows is already one of life’s most glorious wonders, but John said that sharing the moment with Karen during their cruise window on their honeymoon was even more outstanding and unforgettable.
The years following involved many incredible firsts for the couple such as the birth of their daughter and moving into their first home together. Since then, they moved into a great home on a lake and have experienced many different activities together.
John loves that they can do everything with one another. “We have the same goals and love of family and life,” he said. Together they love to travel and go boating, especially with their children.
To this day, John laughs while recalling the day on the boat with Karen and their daughter Haley when she was a baby. “I caught a fish and it fell off the hook and into the playpen flapping all around. She was screaming and I was laughing, and Haley slept through it all,” John said.
No matter what the couple is doing or where they are, John said that as long as he is with Karen, he is at home. “Home just isn’t a home without her.”
Karen is a woman with an incredible work ethic and superb attention to detail. In her free time, she enjoys many hobbies such as boating, flowers and plants, animals, cruises and skydiving, as well as being a proud member of Steeler Nation. To John, all of these interests make her that much more unique and special.
And above all, she is a great role model to all of their kids, John said. Meeting her was one of the greatest days of his life.
“God blessed me with a gift that I can never repay when he brought her into my life.” -John
