Joanne "Chris" Carow

Joanne Christine "Chris" Carow, age 73 of Kalamazoo, died August 22, 2020, at Bronson Hospital. She was born March 26, 1947, in Orange, California, the daughter of Keith and Rita (Tormey) Knapp. The family moved to Kalamazoo where Chris attended St. Augustine's Catholic High School and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. Following a beautiful chance encounter with Jim Carow at a Christian coffee house, Jim and Chris were married on November 27, 1976. She was passionate about social justice and community well-bring and served with Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA). She also served for a time on a Kalamazoo County Health and Human Services advisory board. She was wonderful with children and ran a model in-home day care that was once featured on the local news. She later went into medical office management where she excelled in patient relations, practice development, and team building. When Jim opened his medical practice, Chris joined him to manage the office where they were a great team. In her fifties she discovered an amazing artistic talent for drawing and painting. At a young age she had been gifted with a fiery love of God, and her devotion continued till the end of her life. In her later years when struggling with declining health and Lewy body dementia, she obtained a copy of the book A Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia and inscribed it with the following: "A gift to myself and my husband…Christine and Jim Carow 2011. I am walking this journey home to meet my father, with Jim holding my hand, with love and joy, but most of all with peace in my heart right up till the end! How lucky and blest I am. Christine." She was a beloved woman and will be deeply missed by many. She is survived by her husband Jim Carow; her children: Shannon (Ron) Schmidt and Terre (Doug) Scott; her grandchildren: Christopher Schmidt, Justin Schmidt, and Emily McAtee; her brothers and sisters: Keith (Patty Petty) Knapp, Dana (Cindy) Knapp, Alice (Robert) Lapekas, Amy (Paul) Bertoldi, Margaret (Steve) Fleckenstein, and Mary Knapp; and many nieces and nephews. Chris was preceded in death by her daughter Maureen McAtee, her parents, and her brothers, John, Jim, and Mark Knapp. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 936 Lake St., Kalamazoo. She will be buried at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Parchment. For details on visitation and the funeral service call 269-312-4965. All are welcome. Memorials may be made in Chris' honor to Catholic Charities USA. Please visit Chris' webpage to sign her online guest book or to leave a condolence. https://www.langelands.com.