Karen Alene Lapp

Karen Alene Lapp, beloved wife, mother, gramma, and friend passed away peacefully on May 6, 2025 at the age of 89 in Burnsville, MN. Karen grew up a proud prairie girl in Scenic, Edgemont and Custer State Park, South Dakota. Karen enjoyed horsing around with her sister Mary Zelle and their beloved horses Dixie and Coco. She played clarinet in the marching band and worked at the soda fountain in town. After high school, Karen attended Yankton College and later Black Hills Teachers College majoring in Elementary Education. Karen enjoyed being a classroom teacher and later a reading tutor in Minneapolis Public Schools. Karen married the love of her life Don on August 2, 1957. They made their home in Bloomington, MN and enjoyed 67 wonderful years together. Family was the center of their relationship and they enjoyed summer adventures at the cabin in the Black Hills. They also traveled together as snow birds to their retirement home in Arizona. Karen's life was dedicated to service. She was a church deacon, room mother, Campfire Girl leader, election judge, driver for Meals on Wheels, and served on the executive board for the Bloomington Figure Skating Club. She was a long time member of PEO Chapter E and held many leadership roles. Karen was proud of the work she did assisting young women in securing loans and scholarships so they could pursue a college education. Karen enjoyed crafting and sewing. She and her sister loved spending time together searching for the perfect fabric, working on quilts, and making holiday gifts to share with family and friends. Karen's great pride in life was her family. She was a wonderful mother and gramma who offered support, love, and encouragement. She built strong traditions that brought her family together for fun and celebration. Karen cherished her grandchildren and spent countless hours cheering from the stands of the baseball field, soccer pitches, rodeo grounds, or theaters. Karen was preceded in death by her parents Ernest "Swede" and Neme Nielsen and her sister Mary Zelle Woytassek. She leaves behind her husband Don and daughter Meri (Mark) Nielsen and their children Haley (Joe) Elling and Jake, daughter Sara (Paul) and their children Ben (Madeline) and Grace and son Don (Mary Kay) and their children Tyler and Sydney. Karen's warmth, kindness, smile, and caring spirit will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Karen's family would like to extend thanks and love to the wonderful caregivers from Grace Hospice, MN Hospice, and Havenwood who so compassionately took care of her over the last few years. A service of remembrance and celebration for Karen's life will be held on Tuesday, May 20 at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN. Visitation will begin at 10:30 am, with a service to follow at 11:30am. Memorials to PEO Chapter E for their educational projects, Transfiguration Lutheran Church, or South Dakota Cabin Owners Association.

Tributes

Karen Alene Lapp

October 7, 1935 - May 6, 2025

Tributes

Karen Alene Lapp

October 7, 1935 - May 6, 2025

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