Karen Krueger's Obituary
Karen Krueger passed away on Saturday, July 8th, 2017 after a brave battle with cancer.
Karen Marie Blake was born in San Jose, California in the winter of 1956 to Casey and Betty Blake. 1956 was a leap year and Karen came in just under the wire on February 25th…which was a story that her mom loved to tell.
She graduated from Awalt High School in Mountain View, California. She then pursued a medial assistant degree from De Anza College, which took her to Sunnyvale Medical Clinic, where she was employed.
It was family that originally had brought her to Washington. Quickly finding a love for the Northwest helped to make it her permanent home, leaving California in her rear view mirror…but always holding a place in heart for Joe Montana and the “old school” Niners.
Karen had a strong love for music. The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Eric Clapton and Barry Manilow (yes, not a typo) topped her list. It was fitting that it was music that connected her with her love, Darrel Krueger, meeting him while he was playing in his band.
Karen and Darrel were married in 2005 and had been by each other’s side until the very end. They loved going to sporting events, especially using their season tickets to cheer on the Sonics back in the good ol’ days. She was a big Hawks fan and had a closet full of blue and green. They also loved to travel, taking them to Nascar Races, trips across the pond to visit Darrel’s family in England and most recently last summer, a whirlwind trip to the East Coast that included stops at famous musical sites including Woodstock. They spent a great few days in Boston and got to see their great nephew play baseball at Cooperstown. They loved spending time with their extremely tight knit group of friends. Whether it was Lake Chelan, Crescent Bar, Lake Tahoe or some other boat friendly destination, you could always count on Karen to be a key planner in the adventures.
Karen dabbled in the real estate world for a bit, which eventually led her to the home loan industry, where she found her true calling. Working with a few different mortgage companies, she had been with US Bank for the past several years. Specializing in construction loans, she loved to help make people’s dreams of building their own home come true. She connected with them early and was with them through the entire process. Her concern, willingness to fight and true compassion were just a few reasons why many of her clients ended up being her friends. Following her own advice, Darrel and Karen built a dream home of their own. Their home was always “party ready” and Karen was the “hostess with the mostess!” Halloween parties, Superbowl Parties, birthday parties and more….Karen always made you feel welcome in the home that they had built. Her love for the holidays, especially Christmas, will always be cherished during that time of year for her family.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Casey and Betty Blake; her brother, James Blake, her great nephew, Gavin Mayr and her mother in law, Joan Krueger.
Karen is survived by her husband, Darrel; her sister, Jeanette Erb (Gary); her sister in law, Shelagh Krueger; her nieces Erin Harries (Ray), Aleka Mayr, and Kendra Krueger; her nephew and Godson, Andy Erb (Kelli) and great nieces and nephews that she adored with all of her heart. (Lexi, Katalina, Tyler, Casey, Raymond and Aiden)
To know Karen was to know how life should be lived. Those that hold her close to their heart will remember how she lived it to the fullest,…with raceways full of excitement, waterways as smooth as a no wake zone and three pointers always raining down.
A celebration (aka party) for Karen’s life will be held on Saturday, July 29th at 4:00 PM at Glenwood Tree Farm. 14716 Bingham Ave E. Tacoma, WA 98445.
Please share your memories of Karen and condolences to the family by visiting the tribute wall.
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