Kari Ness Riedel
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Kari's obituary
Kari Ness Riedel, beloved wife, mother, daughter, and friend, passed away surrounded by family and love.
Kari lived her life guided by a favorite Maya Angelou quote that hung in her home:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Anyone who knew Kari knows this to be true of her. She had a rare gift for making people feel deeply loved, valued, and seen. The countless memories, kind words, and stories shared over the last few weeks reflect the extraordinary way she touched lives.
Kari was truly remarkable—humble, kind, selfless, and generous beyond measure. Her smile and laugh lit up every room, and her joy was contagious. She and her husband, Lance, were teenage sweethearts whose bond lasted through life’s ups and downs until they married nearly a decade later, on one of the happiest days of their lives.
One of the most meaningful places in Kari’s life was Cedars Camps, where she and Lance first met as children, returned as counselors, and where Kari later served as Program Director of the girls’ camp. It became a cornerstone for their family; their sons, Gabe and Beck, grew up there, carrying forward their mother’s legacy of selflessly loving others. Of all her many roles, none brought Kari more joy and pride than being “mom.”
Kari’s life was filled with service, leadership, and creativity. A gifted student from the start, she skipped grades, entered the College of William & Mary at 16, and served as president of her Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She began her career in litigation consulting in Washington, D.C., before joining AmeriCorps, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to service. She went on to earn her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, where classmates fittingly voted her “Most Likely to Save the World.”
Her professional journey spanned both the corporate and nonprofit worlds. She worked in brand management at Sara Lee and Nestlé before devoting her talents to social enterprises and nonprofits, including Rubicon Programs, where she helped save a pioneering workforce development initiative, and Challenge Success at Stanford, where she championed student well-being.
Kari also founded Bookopolis, an online community that has inspired hundreds of thousands of children to discover a love of reading and to share book reviews with one another. In recent years, she returned to graduate school for a master’s in education, trained as a yoga instructor, and continued to invest her energy in helping children and families thrive.
Through every role she took on—professional, volunteer, teacher, leader—Kari’s deepest devotion remained her family. She cherished her sons, Gabe and Beck, and her greatest pride was in watching them grow into compassionate young men.
Kari’s life was full of love, purpose, and service. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched—with her kindness, her laughter, her wisdom, and her unwavering love.
She is survived by her husband, Lance; their sons, Gabe and Beck; her parents, Beverly and Tom, her brothers Jonathan and Kevin, and a wide circle of family and friends who will carry her light forward.
The family is profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love and support and invites all who knew Kari to celebrate her remarkable life.
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