Karen Roepke was born on November 13, 1949 to Ray and Pearl Reyo. She graduated from Gibbon High School in 1967 and married Loren Roepke from Hutchinson on April 27, 1968 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gibbon, MN. After completing Beauty School in Willmar, MN, she worked as a cosmetologist, initially in Glencoe, later in Hutchinson, and eventually at Broadway Hair Fashions in Cokato. Karen was an artist with many talents. She sewed (all of her young children’s clothes, matching family outfits, prom dresses, special occasion dresses, curtains). She especially liked to make costumes for Halloween and special occasions. (She loved dressing up as Mrs. Claus at Christmas time!) She and her husband, Loren, restored the interiors and exteriors of more than a dozen antique vehicles. She did glass etching, needle point, Brazilian Embroidery, quilting, crochet, knitting, and macramé. She did the flower arrangements for several weddings. She painted an extensive collection of ceramics, including a 20-piece nativity set. She gardened and canned. She loved antiques. Things had to be old and beautiful in order to get into the house, and she was a master of making something out of nothing. She collected enough Victorian Christmas ornaments to have her own tree in the dining room during the holidays. (Loren had his tree in the living room.) Participating in The Butterfield Threshing Bee and local parades with the 1937 Ford Truck and the Fernando Dutchmen (polka band) were happy summer rituals. She was a math wizard, and an excellent math teacher. A few of her other favorite things were the Sound of Music, Bing Crosby, peonies, animals (especially kitties), pretty dishes (especially the china set Loren brought back to her from Vietnam), 50′s rock music, bluegrass, and being a mom to her own kids as well as an extra mom to her kids’ friends–who were always welcome in her home. She is survived by her children and grandchildren: Deb Roepke (John, Sophia and Charissa Nelson), Rob Roepke, and Michele (Roepke) Skoog (Cory, Emma and Greta).
Karen passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 25. She was 74 years old.
A funeral service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, MN on Saturday, June 1. There will be a visitation at 10 and a service at 11 with a light lunch to follow. Interment will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. All are welcome.