Karla Kay Chew, nee Hoover, age 83, longtime resident of Oak Park, passed away with family by her side on June 8th, 2023. Karla was the beloved wife of the late Ronald Chew, loving mother of Ryan (Lindsay Beller) Chew and Tracey (Glenn) Kugelard and proud grandmother of Jackson Kugelard, Carter Kugelard, Tabitha Chew and Nora Chew.  She was a cherished Sister-in-law to Barbara (David) Roy and Nancy (Gerald) Kitch, admired Aunt to Rusty (Beth) Kitch, Barry (Ann Celi) Kitch and Saundi (Christian) Theodossiou and Great Aunt to their 10 children. As dog mom, she was adored by her Irish Doodle, Mollie.

Karla grew up in rural central Michigan.  She was valedictorian of her high school class and active in the school's band, chorus, cheerleading and basketball teams.  She was also a member of the local 4H club.  She went on to graduate from Michigan State University with a BA in Mathematics and later received her MBA from Sangamon State University, while working as a computer programmer, which she did for most of her career.

Karla enjoyed tennis, biking, camping, canoeing as well as skiing which she did into her 70's. She also loved spending time with her grandchildren, cheering them on in their sporting events, concerts and shows and bringing them activity books and puzzles they could work on together.

She was a dedicated volunteer throughout her life; den mother for Ryan's cub scouts, Sunday School teacher at both the Unitarian church in Springfield as well as Third Unitarian Church in the Austin neighborhood, where she also held several board positions.  She volunteered her time at the Columbus Park Food Pantry, PADS, and took "vacations" to help build trails for Sierra Club and houses for Habitat for Humanity.  She was very active with the Democratic Party of Oak Park, participating in phone banks, and going door to door to promote candidates she felt supported social justice causes dear to her heart. She was a determined and fiercely independent woman who taught her children these same values and traits. A memorial service to celebrate Karla's life is planned for August 5th at Third Unitarian Church, 301 N Mayfield Ave, Chicago, IL at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless or the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Interment is private. Arrangements entrusted to Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home. For info 708-F-U-N-E-R-A-L.