Karol Lynne (Coleman) Bartlett
September 26, 1943 – August 8, 2023
Karol Lynne (Coleman) Bartlett, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother died peacefully at home, with her family by her side, August 8, 2023, at the age of 79.
She was survived by her husband & best friend of 57 years, Jac Bartlett; son, Michael (Kimbir) Bartlett; daughter, Amy (Bartlett) Orange; grandchild, Chandler Orange; great grandchildren, Koleman Jac Taylor, Grayson Michael Taylor; brother, Ron Coleman; niece, Shannon Coleman. Karol was preceded in death by her loving parents, Doyle and Olympia “Lynn” (Martino) Coleman.
Born on September 26, 1943, Karol grew up on the East side of Indianapolis in Irvington and was a proud alumnus of both Our Lady of Lourdes and Scecina High School (class of 1961). She enjoyed spending time with family & friends, nature, cross country road trips, adventurous world travel, and spending summers on Lake Monroe.
Karol received her bachelor’s degree in biology from IUPUI in 1986 where she proudly earned the honor of Valedictorian. She began her career working for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where she retired as the Director of Education (1987-2002). Karol’s love for science education didn’t end there as she went on to create her own consulting business, “Experience Science Inc.”. She continued her love of developing & implementing hands on science exhibits & programming all over the world engaging children & adults of all ages (2002 – 2019).
Of all Karol’s achievements, her biggest sense of joy and accomplishment was her family. Karol and Jac met in 1962 at Methodist Hospital while she, a volunteer candy striper and he, a recovering patient. They married in 1965 and raised two children together on the East side of Indianapolis. Karol was a devoted and loving mother who took her job very seriously. She was not only a homemaker but also a sales rep for Jac’s dental lab business, coach, room mother, PTO president, Girl Scout leader, and substitute teacher. Karol loved to cook Italian meals for her family and friends, and everyone was always welcome in her home. Her door was always open, especially on Christmas Eve.
As much as Karol loved being a mother, she was especially enamored with her only grandchild, Chandler. She cherished every moment they spent together traveling, having sleep overs, getting pedicures, attending plays at Beef & Boards, scrapbooking, shopping, cooking, and spending time on Papaw’s boat. The only joy that could have ever compared to being “Memaw” to Chandler was the moment she became “Gigi” to her precious great grandsons, Koleman Jac & Grayson Michael.
Please join us in celebrating the life of Karol Lynne (Coleman) Bartlett on Sunday, September 24th from 3-6pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 5333 E Washington Street.
In Lieu of Flowers, donations are welcome to Hoosier Association of Science Teachers Inc @ https://hasti.org/Gene-Stratton-Porter-Envirionmental-Science-Award or Indiana Department of Natural Resource @ https://www.in.gov/dnr/about-us/donating-to-the-dnr/
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