Karen Thompson, age 80, of Canby, MN passed away on Monday, January 24, 2022 at the Sanford Canby Medical Center. Memorial service will be next Saturday, February 5th at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Canby, MN at 2pm. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the at the church. Burial will be at a later date at the East Hendricks (Calvary) Cemetery, Hendricks, MN. Houseman Funeral Home-Birk Chapel of Canby is entrusted with the arrangements.
Karen Mae Thompson was born on April 19, 1941, in Hendricks, Minnesota to Peter and Frances (Hovitek) Ness. She was baptized and confirmed at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Hendricks. She attended grade school at district no. 5 (which is now at the museum site at the Hendricks Park) and district no. 52. In seventh grade she attended Hendricks High School where she graduated in May 1959. On June 6, 1959, she and Leroy Thompson were united in marriage at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Hendricks. They lived in the Canby area all their married life except for a few months in Aberdeen, SD. Karen worked at the National Citizens Bank in Canby for 1 ½ years. She then became a stay-at-home mom until their youngest son entered first grade. She worked at Schotts Inc. for 12 years and at REM for 14 years before retiring. Her greatest pride were her five sons and all their accomplishments, her daughters-in-law, and all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed family gatherings, playing cards or board games with the grandchildren, attending all school and church functions, and taking grandchildren shopping, to the fair, parks, picnics, etc. Karen loved animals of all kinds. As an only child, her pets were her playmates. Since she and Leroy moved to their farm in 1973, they raised (along with the family) sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, pigs, rabbits, cats, and dogs. She loved every one of them with dogs being her favorite. Yet she never turned away a stray cat and had over thirty cats in the barn over a winter. She also raised a weak lamb in the house for 6 weeks and bought diapers for her. The lamb grew to a fine ewe and had twins every year. Karen enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening, doing crossword puzzles, planning family reunions, camping, and card and coffee parties with friends.
Karen is survived by her sons: Keith (Sara), Delroy (Nancy), Troy (Mary), Cory (Sandy) and Derek (Stacy) Thompson; 16 grandchildren: Dean (Steph), Clarissa, Nick, Domonique (Ben), Logan (Jacque), Jonny, Toby, Aaron, Austin, Lydia, Isabel, Faith, Eliana, Luke (Julia), Blake, and Shane; 4 great-grandchildren: Cowden, Donovan, Levi, and Bowen. Karen was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Leroy; brothers and sisters-in-law: Darold & Eleanor Helmberger, Donnie & Margie Sillman, Deloris Thompson, William & Jean Paul, and Elroy Thompson, and several nieces and nephews.
