Karen Elizabeth Rieck, age 58, of Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois passed away November 11, 2023. Beloved wife of Ronald J. Banks. Loving mother of Lucas (Zoe Schmidt) Banks. Adoring dog-mom to Spot. Cherished sister of Susan (Joel) Finkle, Barbara (John) Malm, and Linda (Paul) Riportella. Dear aunt to many nieces and nephews. Karen was born May 25, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois to the late William C. and the late Shirley V. (nee Ilg) Rieck. She grew up in Des Plaines, as her family were long-time residents. They owned and operated Rieck's Ace Hardware in Park Ridge where Karen worked for many years as a manager. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Business Degree, however she made her career in teaching. Karen has worked for the Chicago Public Schools for almost 30 years. She was a reading specialist and has taught thousands of kids to read over the years. Nature was a major part of Karen's life and is where she spent as much of her time as she could. She enjoyed going to Lake Geneva and gave support to a local non-profit, the Norman B. Barr Camp in Williams Bay. Adventuring, road-tripping and spending time in nature, most often barefoot, was where she was happiest. Most of all, she loved her family and will be greatly missed by everyone she knew. A visitation will be held Wednesday, November 15, from 3:00 pm until the time of service at 6:00 pm at G.L. Hills Funeral Home, 745 Graceland Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Karen's name may be made to the World Wildlife Fund, 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, N.W., P.O. Box 97180, Washington, DC 20090-7180, https://protect.worldwildlife.org/page/52717/donate/1?en_og_source=Web_Donation&ea.tracking.id=Web_Topnav&supporter.appealCode=AWE2402OQ18299A01179RX . Funeral care provided by G.L. Hills Funeral Home and Cremation Center. For information, please call 847-699-9003 or visit www.glhillsfuneralhome.com .