Karen Roberta Salvitti

Karen Roberta Salvitti passed away peacefully on Friday, August 9th, 2024 in the comfort of her home. She was blessed to be surrounded by family at the time of her passing. Karen was born to Theodore and Carol (nee: Lindholm) Rayve on April 5, 1949, in Poughkeepsie, New York.

After graduating from Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls, she studied education at The State University of New York at Oswego. Fresh out of college, Karen began what would be a 45 year career in education. Moving with her husband and family, she taught in New York, California, and Florida before settling in Batesville, IN where she spent the last 22 years of her career teaching at Batesville Middle School. In 2007, she completed her Master's Degree of Education through Olivet University in Illinois. Karen officially retired from teaching in 2019.

Karen was passionate about her faith, family, friends, and students. She was an active member of the ELCA Lutheran Church and later in life was trained as a lay minister serving at several churches in the Batesville area. She enjoyed supporting her children and grandchildren through their many extracurricular activities, traveling with her family, and losing herself in the pages of a good book. Karen gave freely of her heart, time, and resources, never asking for anything in return. She viewed people through a strength-based lens and approached life with joy and positivity. Karen's legacy lives on in the many lives she's touched through her gifts of unconditional love and generosity.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents; her younger brother, Ted; and her beloved husband of 46 years, Arthur M. Salvitti. 

She is survived by her son, Michael (Jessa) Salvitti of Naples, Italy; daughter, Sabrina (David) Haughn of Indianapolis, IN; son, Tim (Shantelle) Salvitti of Cary, NC; daughter, Jenni (Branden) Leslie of Burlington, NC; stepdaughter, Kristina Salvitti of Walnut Grove, CA; uncle, Carl Lindholm of Millbrook, NY; fourteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and multiple cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews. 

A celebration of life will be held for Karen on Monday, August 12th at 5:00 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church- Crossroads, 664 IN-229, Batesville, IN 47006. A livestream of the service will be accessible through the church's Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests honoring Karen as the "Book Lady" by gifting a book in her name to a member of your community, local school library, friend, or family member. 

"Reading is not just a hobby, it is a lifelong passion that can ignite your imagination and fuel your dreams." - LeVar Burton