Karen Beth Schick's Obituary
Karen Beth Schick, 59
Dr. Karen Beth Schick passed away in Tampa, Florida on February 5, 2016 at the age of 59.
Karen is survived by her mother, Renne Schick of Bay Harbor, FL; husband, Dr. Mark Helm; children, Rachel, Emily and Eric Helm; and sister, Debra Theaman of Pembroke Pines, FL. She is preceded in death by her father Elliott Schick, of New York, New York.
Karen was born on June 23, 1956 in New York, New York to Elliott and Renne Schick. At the age of 5 her family moved to Miami Beach, Florida, where she lived until finishing high school at age 16. Karen’s earliest Floridian memory was when her Kindergarten teacher gave her a piece of a very strange fruit called coconut. She remembered chewing and chewing on the coconut all day, unable to swallow it but afraid to spit it out and offend her teacher.
The feelings and well-being of others was always the driving force in her life. After graduating from Duke University in 1976 with a degree in Psychology, she attended the University of South Florida where, in 1979 at age 22, she received her Doctorate of Medicine. Karen then went to Charleston, South Carolina to complete her training as a pediatrician, officially becoming a tiny doctor for tiny humans.
While in Charleston she met another nice young doctor named Mark. Together they moved to Lakeland, Florida, where they were married in 1985. Around this time Karen opened her pediatrics practice on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, where she fulfilled her passion of caring for children and their families for over 30 years. She had three children of her own and raised them in her office, where they filed charts, restocked bandaids, handed out stickers to patients, and learned how to care for others by watching their mother.
Never one to waste a moment, Karen filled her time with friendship and activity. She was a dedicated member of the Temple Emanuel community for decades. Her involvement with many community organizations helped raise funds for READ Lakeland, as well as numerous cancer research and patient support organizations, and participated in as many charity runs as possible, often multiple in the same afternoon. She completed several medical mission trips to Port-au-Prince in Haiti, where she arrived with medical equipment in one hand and a suitcase of toys and clothing in the other.
Every year Karen and her mother Renne would travel together, seeing much of the world over the years. If you knew her well, you may have seen her photo albums from some of these trips. If you knew her very well, you may have seen them several times.
After sending three children into the world and finding her nest empty, Karen found her late-in-life passion for Zumba. What started as just a group exercise class became her new community and lead to some of her strongest friendships. Her favorite color was “all of them,” her favorite type of party was a themed party involving costumes. If you are reading this, she loved you.
A funeral is scheduled for Sunday, February 7th, 1PM at Temple Emanuel, 600 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland, FL 33803. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Karen’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society at 1920 S Florida Ave, Lakeland, FL 33803. The family would like to thank the physicians and staff at Lakeland Regional Health and Moffitt Cancer Center for the compassionate care she received.
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