Karen Celeste Minter, October 1950 to May 2012, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., and formerly of Cleveland, passed away after a six-month illness in Lawrence, Kan.

After graduating from Bradley Central High in 1968, she earned her associate degree from Tomlinson College in 1970 and her bachelor’s degree in 1972 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

She completed her master of arts in 1984 at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where she won the Lorena McDuff Opera Award. She earned her doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, in 1993, where she received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Music. She joined the faculty of Benedictine College in 1990.

In addition to her commitment to teaching, she also had a long, successful performance career. She had been a professional roster artist with the Kansas City Lyric Opera since 1986 and appeared in 58 productions. She had been a regular solo and ensemble recitalist in the greater Atlanta, Chattanooga, Denver and Kansas City areas for many years and was a featured soprano in the Kansas City Lyric Opera Quartet in 1988 and 1989. She was a competition winner and soloist with Colorado Chorale in 1984. She performed Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate” and Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.”

She was also a soloist of section leader in many other venues, including St. John’s United Methodist Church, Kansas City; Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kan.; Unity on the Plaza Church; Holy Ghost Cathedral, Denver; and the Denver Chamber Singers in Denver.

Benedictine College recently announced the 2012 Distinguished Educator of the Year is Dr. Karen Minter, professor in the Music Department since 1990. This award is the highest honor Benedictine College bestows on a faculty member. She was overwhelmingly nominated for the distinction by Benedictine College students, faculty and staff.

She was one of four children born to Mary Patricia Thomason Minter of Cleveland and the late Gerald H. Minter.

She will forever be remembered by her devoted son, Dr. Jamey Garner and daughter-in-law, Lana Seibel, who lovingly cared for her during her illness. They were joined in the final two months by Karen’s mother, Pat Minter. Her three siblings and their families are: Teresa Minter Shull with husband, Don, their son, Nathan and daughter-in-law Beth, Keith A. Minter and Eric Minter with wife, Linda, and their sons: Samuel and David.

A memorial service was held in Kansas City on May 31, 2012.

The family requests memorial donations be made to Douglas County Visiting Nurses at www.kansasvna.org/donate, Women for Women at www.womenforwomen.org, and Animals Asia at www.animalsasia.org.

The family will receive friends Friday June 8, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Peerless Road Church of God of Prophecy.

This obituary was provided as service for the Minter family by the North Chapel of the Jim Rush Funeral Homes.