Karen Sue Anderson

Karen "Kookie" Sue Anderson (Payne), aged 85 of Minneapolis, MN, died peacefully at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN surrounded by family on August 25, 2025. Karen was born in Waterloo, IA on April 3, 1940, to Roy Morse Payne and Mary Elveta Payne. She graduated from Spring Lake Park High School in Spring Lake Park, MN in 1958 and went on to graduate from beauty school and worked as a beautician at the Paris Beauty Salon in downtown Minneapolis. Karen met Jim Anderson in Minneapolis where they dated and eventually married in April 1962. Soon after marrying they welcomed their first son Erik, with daughter Keri coming along shortly after, followed by son James and daughter Kristin. Karen spent many years volunteering with Girl Scouts as a troop leader for both of her daughters and continued with Girl Scouts for many years even after both daughters moved on from scouting. She loved taking her Girl Scouts camping and on trips to Washington D.C. Karen was a world traveler taking two trips to Ålesund, Norway to visit her son Erik, his wife Wenche and their children Jenny and Jakob. The first trip was for granddaughter Jenny's baptism, and the second trip was for grandson Jakob's confirmation. She had the best time on both trips, meeting all of Erik and Wenche's family and friends, and discovering "Grandma's Mountains" on the horizon. She came back from both trips with tons of stories and mementos that she cherished. Karen was a lifelong Elvis fan, eager to share her love of all things Elvis with anyone she encountered, be it a stranger or someone she knew. Anyone who spent more than 60 seconds with Karen walked away knowing just how much she loved him. She carried her Elvis autograph in her purse with her EVERYWHERE, just in case she had the opportunity to take a few minutes to 'show and tell' her story of how in 1977 she mailed a picture of Elvis along with a simple letter asking for an autograph to Graceland with the hope that just MAYBE Elvis would see it, sign it, and send it back to her. To her surprise, just days before Elvis died, she received a simple white envelope in the mail postmarked Memphis, TN, and enclosed was nothing but the picture she had sent which now had the words "Best Wishes, Elvis Presley" autographed in black ink across the back of the photo. From then on, she carried that autograph with her always and was happy to pull it out and show it off at any time. Karen began working at Dayton's in downtown Minneapolis in the 90's and continued through the store's changing hands several times to Marshall Fields and eventually to Macy's, until she retired in 2004. After her retirement, she enjoyed spending time with family and friends, traveling to Memphis for Elvis Week each year, reading books, watching great shows on TV, and feeding her 'critters' out in front of her house. Karen is survived by her children, Erik Anderson (Wenche) of Ålesund, Norway, Keri Burnette (Michael) of Germantown, TN, James Anderson of Minneapolis, MN, and Kristin "Bubsy" Anderson of Richmond, TX along with six grandchildren Jenny Anderson (Mads Halvorsen), Jakob Anderson (Brittany), Nellie Anderson, Emma Anderson, James Anderson, and Susie Anderson. She is also survived by three siblings, Bonnie Smith, Dixie Gustafson, and Ray Payne (Beth), as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family. Karen is preceded in death by her husband Jim, her parents Roy and Mary Payne, and her brothers Ernie, Steve, Fred, and Gary. Karen was a one-of-a-kind mom, grandma, and friend. She never met a stranger and was always eager to have a conversation with anyone she encountered. She was the type of person who always made a positive impact on everyone she met, be it a 5-minute conversation or a lifelong friend or family member. She will be missed by many and forgotten by none. There are no words that can express how grateful and blessed we are to the kind, caring and compassionate staff at Sholom Home West in St. Louis Park for taking great care of our mom for the last two months. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made in Karen's name to any of the following extremely worthy organizations: West Cancer Foundation: https://westcancerfoundation.org/support/ Sholom Home West: https://www.sholom.com/giving/ Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation: https://www.graceland.com/epcf-donate

Tributes

Karen Sue Anderson

April 3, 1940 - August 25, 2025

Tributes

Karen Sue Anderson

April 3, 1940 - August 25, 2025

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