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Submitted: 5/26/24 • Approved: 6/3/24 • Last Updated: 6/6/24 • R275974-G0-S3
Karen Kay Fritz
January 11, 1943 - November 8, 2023
Karen K. Fritz, age 80 of Sioux Falls, SD passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Her Memorial Service will be at 2:00 PM Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls. The Family will greet relatives and friends an hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Karen Kay Fritz, daughter of Irvin and Dorothy (Hansen) Fritz was born on January 11, 1943, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She grew up on a farm near Tea, South Dakota, starting her education at Tea Elementary School. During her third-grade year of school, the Fritz family purchased a farm near Harrisburg. Karen continued her schooling at Harrisburg and graduated from Harrisburg High School in 1961.
Karen would go on to graduate from Sioux Valley School of Nursing, Sioux Falls as well as earning a B. A. Degree from Sioux Falls College (now the University of Sioux Falls), an M.S. degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Doctoral Degree in Nursing Science from the University of San Diego. Karen taught nursing at Arizona State University, Tempe; University of Virginia, Charlottesville; and the Norfolk General/Old Dominion University Program. In addition, she was a neonatal nurse in the intensive-care nursery at the University of Minnesota. She held positions at Sioux Valley Hospital (now Sanford Health) and Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Most recently Karen taught psychiatric nursing for 17 years at Augustana University, including clinicals at Avera McKennan and Behavioral Health Hospitals.
Karen’s journey of faith was based on the grace of our Lord through faith in Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins and reinstates us as a child of our loving God.
Karen loved reading and collecting hundreds of books over the years. She took great pride in keeping current with family members, writing letters, and texting when it became the new method of communication. She was notorious for her yearly Christmas letter of numerous pages.
Karen enjoyed traveling. Tours to Scandinavia and Greece were among her favorites. As one of the “fearless foursome” ( a group of four ladies traveling together each summer including her mother Dorothy, aunt Joanne, and sister Diane, acting as the chauffeur), Karen enjoyed numerous car trips to various vacation spots in the U.S.
Grateful for having shared her life are her sisters, Diane (Larry) Yeo of Sioux Falls, and Nancy (Al) Warnock of Lennox; four nieces and nephews, Molly (Kevin) Adames, Brennan (Jenn) Yeo, Maxim Howard, and Hannah (Andrew) Griffin.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents.
Contributed on 5/26/24 by 9katz
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Record #: 275974