Karen Blinn
Karen Blinn
Karen Blinn
October 6, 1941 – January 1, 2016
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 74
Karen Kay Blinn, 74, of Oskaloosa, and formerly of Estes Park, Colorado and New Sharon, died Friday, January 1, 2016, at her home in Oskaloosa. She was born October 6, 1941 near Cedar, the daughter of Wayne Burdette and Ruth Janet Sea Lee.
Karen graduated from the Fremont High School with the class of 1959, and then the Iowa State Teachers College (now U.N.I.) in Cedar Falls in 1963.
Early on, Karen taught elementary school in the Chicago area. She moved back to Iowa and started teaching at North Mahaska Elementary in New Sharon. On May 20, 1972, she was united in marriage to Larry D. Blinn at the Little Brown Church at Nashua. After teaching for awhile, she then began a lengthy career as a teller at the Taintor Savings Bank in New Sharon; then worked as bookkeeper at J. Farnsworth Pepperdine. Finally, she served as City Clerk of New Sharon for several years until retiring.
In retirement, Karen and Larry moved to Estes Park, Colorado and lived in the high country for 15 years until returning to Iowa and settling in Oskaloosa in June, 2015.
Larry and Karen were always active members of Methodist churches wherever they lived, and were recognized in Colorado with the Quiet Disciples award for continuous ‘behind the scenes’ work through the church. Karen was always very involved in the Chancel Choirs of their churches of membership, and even was a participant in the Hand Bells Choirs.
Besides her very active involvement with her churches, Karen was a Lifetime Member of three different genealogical societies: Keo-mah Genealogical Society, the Carroll County Genealogical Society, and the Larimer County, Colorado Genealogical Society. She was a longtime member of P.E.O., and was a Past President in New Sharon, and presently a member of Chapter X in Oskaloosa. She was also active in the Oskaloosa Community Theater, starting with the musical, The Music Man in 1984. Karen was a member of the Oskaloosa – Mary Marion Chapter of the D.A.R. While living in Estes Park, she was active in cultural Arts Council, and active with the Thanksgiving Day Dinner community-wide event. Karen was a Lifetime Member of the Mahaska County Historical Society.
Karen always had a warm smile for everyone, and delighted in trying to make someone else smile as well, and that truly “made her day” to accomplish that. She faithfully read from her Bible daily, and was most proud of her family.
Her family includes her husband of over 43 years, Larry Blinn of Oskaloosa; two daughters and their husbands: D’Arcy (& Ron) Ver Beek of Oskaloosa and Meri (& Richard) Kephart of Highlands Ranch, Colorado; a son, Cameron (& Heidi Karns) Blinn of Waterloo; eight grandchildren: A.J. Lawson, Jr., Andrew Lawson, Meagan McCartie, Kyndall Ver Beek, Maximalian Kephart, Enric Kephart, Tierney Blinn, and Kaleigh Blinn; a great granddaughter, Arica Lawson; a sister and her husband, Sandra R. (& Jerry) Williams of Oskaloosa; and a brother and his wife, Larry W. (& Judy) Lee of Mason City.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents; a son in law, Aric J. Lawson; a sister in infancy, Mary Frances; and her in-laws: Ward and Evelyn Blinn.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 10 a.m. in the Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa with the Reverend Bruce Wittern officiating.
Graveside services and burial will be Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Merle Hay Memorial Cemetery at Glidden, Iowa.
Visitation will begin Wednesday at the Bates Funeral Chapel on Wednesday after 2:30 p.m., and the family will be at the funeral chapel on Wednesday from 4 – 6 p.m. to greet friends and relatives.
A memorial fund has been established to the family, and will be used to honor Karen’s commitments to the following: Estes Park United Methodist Church; Central United Methodist Church, Oskaloosa; or P.E.O.
