Karen Campbell McCallum

Karen Campbell McCallum of Indianapolis passed away on July 1, 2026. Arrangements entrusted to Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Funeral Home.

Karen was born in Madison, IN on June 22, 1937, to James and Priscilla Campbell. She grew up alongside her brother Al and sister Connie, moving between several Indiana cities. She landed at Indiana University, where she studied education and pledged Alpha Chi Omega. Bloomington was where she met the love of her life, Robert McCallum, an IU Medical School student... and he never stood a chance.

Karen married Robert on May 28, 1960, in Indianapolis. Sixty years, four sons, a growing crowd of grandchildren, and a life deeply wound in the Indianapolis community, their love only deepened. She cherished her neighbors in Pickwick Commons, the friends she made from North Central tennis and the Riviera Country Club, and the infamous "Water Babes" she shared countless swim classes and laughs with over the years.

Every moment of Karen's life was full: swaying alongside Dr. Bob, dogs perpetually underfoot, with a sharp eye for fashion, summers at Lake Wawasee, trips with their dearest friends, and Indiana sports on in the background. To know Karen was to love her—she never met a stranger, and she remembered each detail about everyone. Quick-witted and gloriously funny, she was endlessly curious about the world and the people in it, and fiercely devoted to those she cared about most as a supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. 

Karen will be missed by the countless lives she touched, but her spirit and memory will endure in the people who loved her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Priscilla and James A. Campbell, Sr.; her sister Connie; her brother Al; her daughter Beth; and her husband, Dr. Robert McCallum, M.D. She is survived by her sons Robert Jr., Scott (Ellen), Kevin (Julia), and David (Taryn); her grandchildren Ann, Claire, Brooke, Quinn, Hudson, Campbell, Grayson, Camdon, Caliana, Jeremiah, Ozias, and Isaiah; her great-grandson Leo; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life honoring Karen and Bob's memory will be announced by the family at a later date.