Karen Kay Arndt
SPENCER, Iowa — Karen Kay Arndt, 75, Spencer, Iowa, died Jan. 4, 2021, in Spencer.
Services were Jan. 8 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Spencer, with Father Tim Hogan officiating.
Interment was in Riverside Cemetery, Spencer.
Pallbearers were Alex Arndt, Andrew Arndt, Shannon Tuttle, Troy Schrempp, Brent Schrempp and Ronnie Heikes.
Arrangements were under the direction of Warner Funeral Home, Spencer. Karen was born in Yankton, S.D., Nov. 2,
Karen was born in Yankton, S.D., Nov. 2, 1945, the ninth of 12 children with whom Florence A. and Elmo H. Dreesen were blessed. She spent her early years in Hartington, where she graduated from Cedar Catholic High School. While in high school she met her future husband, Roger Arndt. They were married Feb. 29, 1964. After residing in Omaha for a short time, they moved to Spencer, Iowa. She called Spencer home for the last 56 years of her life.
Karen cherished her role as Mom to her two sons, Jerry and Mark. There was nothing she would not do for them. While she had two children via birth, Karen had many “children” through the years by virtue of her role as a babysitter. These many children became part of her “extended family.” She spent her last working years as a cook in the Spencer Community School system where, once again, her greatest joy was interfacing with the children with whom she came in contact.
Karen took great pride in the cleanliness of her home. She enjoyed cheering on the Spencer Tigers and Iowa State Cyclones. Karen was a devout Catholic and a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Spencer.
Karen was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and seven of her siblings, Edwin, Lorraine, Bernadine, Richard, Marlene, Phyllis and Robert.
She is survived by her two sons, Jerry (Renee), Baton Rouge, La., and Mark (Jean), Dickens, Iowa; three grandchildren, Andrew (Marcella), New York, N.Y.; Alex of Dickens, Iowa; and Caitlin, Dickens, Iowa; one great-grandchild, Brayson; four of her siblings, Mary Etta, Helen Anne, Linda and Janie; and numerous nieces and nephews.