July 13, 1946

That was the day Karen Redinger Schlecht was born.

As we were reading and discussing things to pray about today, I wrote down the date: July 13. “That’s my best friend’s birthday!” I exclaimed.

I thought back to that girl who welcomed me as the new girl in town as a seventh grader. We were neighbors and became best friends. We sat on the bus together and shared secrets. Had slumber parties together in the out-building at her place they called the granary. We had deep conversations about God. Karen believed in Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as her Savior. She is with Him now.

 

In December of 1964, Karen’s life was cut short in a head-on collision in Portland, Oregon. I still miss that friend of mine. But I know this. We will meet again in heaven. I hope you enjoy a little excerpt from my book Beyond Second Chances: Heartbreak to Joy…..

My best friend Karen was a bright-eyed girl who lived just down the road and got straight As. We read together, studied together, and had sleepovers. We fixed our hair and I loaned her my makeup since she wasn’t allowed any at home. We sang together in our ensemble, gave each other rides to games and performances, and I taught her to drive a stick shift. We shared our hopes—her desire to be a teacher, mine to be a nurse—as well as our dreams of marriage.

After graduation, we continued to be best friends. At eighteen years old, we felt invincible, with our lives in front of us. I attended Clark College and worked as a sales clerk at Meier & Frank, a department store in Portland.

“Shirley, sit down. I need to tell you something,” Mom said one cold, wintry evening. I was returning from an evening shift. Am I in trouble? I wondered. I needed to get to my room to finish a paper for English class and yet I could hear the concern in Mom’s voice.

Mom turned up the television volume and I heard a voice on the ten o’clock news.

“Karen Rose Schlecht has died from head injuries sustained in a head-on collision on Union Avenue in Portland.” The voice droned on but the words stunned me. My mind could scarcely take it in. Mom took me in her arms and I sobbed, unable to fully comprehend the loss.

Next day, in the restroom at Clark College, two friends from my high school class were talking. “Shhh,” Vicki said to Donna. She didn’t want me to hear the discussion of my best friend’s death, thinking it would hurt more. I ignored them and their hushed conversation. I couldn’t acknowledge the wrenching loss, afraid I’d break down and cry.

It was my first experience with the death of someone close. I had a difficult time believing that it had happened, but when I saw her shattered body in the coffin a few days later, I knew it was so...https://amzn.to/3xJxozW

So, class of ’64, let’s remember Karen: Karen Rose Redinger Schlecht, 1946-1964.