Karen Marie Border

Karen Marie Border, 78, passed away at home on January 29, 2026, leaving behind a radiant legacy of compassion that had, for decades, reached far beyond the boundaries of her own life. Karen was born in Chico, California on September 28, 1947, to the late Jack and Lila (nee: Wright) McCray. She was preceded in death by her brother, Larry McCray.

Karen’s life evolved across landscapes—both near and far. As a young girl, she rode horses beneath wide California skies, swam in rivers and lakes, and traveled wherever her parents’ curiosity and devotion to service took them. Jack and Lila made exploration a living legacy, as Karen’s childhood summers became a tradition of traversing—Camp Greenhorn, Camp Peaceful Pines, Camp Myrtlewood, San Jose, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York.

In 1960, that world widened dramatically. Karen’s parents were commissioned by the Church of the Brethren to serve a five-year mission in India. That July, the family of four departed aboard the tenpassenger freighter, The Bengalen, traveling across oceans and through ports in the Philippines, Singapore, Colombo and Sri Lanka—finally arriving in Bombay.

There, Karen and her brother, Larry, were sent to attend Woodstock School, a boarding school nestled high in the Himalayan foothills of Mussoorie. It was a place where mountain air and distant horizons fostered reflection, and where Karen began to cultivate a profound empathy that would later shape her life’s work. It was also where she would meet her future husband, Marvin Modder, a man who gave her the greatest gifts of her life—four beautifully boisterous boys, a rare constellation—always in motion, always lighting up her very own sky.

In June of 1965, she graduated from Woodstock School and began the long journey home to California—flying to and from cities that read like chapters in a travel journal: Beirut, Athens, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and London. Karen returned with a rare and awakened perception of the world and its people.
Karen went on to graduate from La Verne College on June 7, 1970, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. Years later, she followed a calling that would allow her deepest gifts to find their clearest expression—nursing. In 1982, she earned her associate degree in nursing through Gateway Technical College, and in 1983 she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the New York State Board of Regents. Karen served in the Emergency Department at Saint Mary’s Medical Center (now Ascension) in Racine, as well as at Shady Lawn Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center and Kenosha Brookside Care Center. However, caring for others extended far being her official title.

On May 5, 1995, Karen remarried, devoting her heart and life to David Border, a man whose perennial adoration and love moved him to walk alongside her through every journey—honoring Karen’s legacy of exploration and traversal—both of which were grounded in their shared dedication to acts of service and a boundless love for humanity.

From India to Thailand, they embarked upon numerous mission trips across the globe. Karen’s sincere love for the human spirit knew no borders. For her, every human being was a living, breathing manifestation of the divine. More specifically, her profound desire to empower women, particularly those without sovereignty over their own voices and bodies, was her sacred duty. Her holy charge.

Alongside her work in healing, Karen remained deeply connected to the arts throughout her life. She directed and performed in productions at Journey Church, bringing both creativity and faith into a shared space where stories could be told and spirits lifted.

To those who were fortunate enough to know her, Karen was always spirited and deeply present. She moved through the world with a whimsical and intoxicating energy, one that showed up through acts of kindness and service—restoring dignity to a fractured world. The measure of a life is not always found in grand declarations, but in the accumulation of care given freely. Karen understood this well.

Karen is survived by her loving and devoted husband, David Border, of Kenosha; her beloved children: Joshua (and Kristin) Modder of Appleton, Sam (and Elizabeth) Modder of Racine, Benjamin (and Rita) Modder of Illinois, and Nathanael Modder of Bayview; her cherished grandchildren: Jackson, Phinneas, Henry, Abraham, Uriah, Willa, Pierce and Penelope; along with other relatives and dear friends whose lives will forever be shaped by her love.

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