Obituaries

Karen Sperry Labuda                              Date of Death:  March 09, 2007

Karen Lynn “Sis” Labuda, 51, beloved wife and mother passed from this life to spend eternity with her Lord and Savior on Friday at her home in Empire, Ohio. Karen was born on November 13, 1955 a daughter of Jack and Sandy Sperry, formerly of Steubenville. She was a 1974 graduate of Steubenville High School and attended Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma where she majored in nursing. In addition to her father, Karen was preceded in death by her infant son Ian. Karen devoted her life to spreading the good news of Christian love and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She was a member of the Messianic Christian praise and worship group “Anaphero”, which means to offer up continuous praise. Her hope was that through acts of kindness to those less fortunate, she might help people to see the love that God has for each of us and lead them to a relationship with Him. One of her favorite scriptures was Psalm 104:33 “ I will sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.” Karen is survived by her husband John Labuda; daughter Deanna Labuda and her fiance Eric Hodek both of Colorado; two sisters Janice Stefansky and her husband Pete of Weirton and Chris Hunt and her husband Larry of Toronto; and brother Jon Sperry and his wife Darlene of Stratton. The family requests the pleasure of meeting with you to celebrate Karen’s life during visitation at Dunlope-Shorac Funeral Home in Wintersville on Sunday from 1-3 and 6-9 p.m. A Messianic Christian service will be held at St. Stephens Episcopal Church on Lovers Lane in Steubenville at 1 p.m. Monday (visitation from noon until 1 p.m. at the church). Burial at Fort Steuben. Anyone wishing to make a donation in lieu of flowers is asked to prayerfully consider the following charity : International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, P.O. Box 96105, Washington, D.C. 20090-6105 (800.486.8844 or www.ifcj.org)