Karen Kay Penner (75) of Golden, Colorado passed away Tuesday July 4th, 2018.

Karen, daughter of Julius and Martha (Rempel) Penner, was born In Enid, OK on December 13, 1942. She graduated from Wichita High School North in Wichita, Kansas in 1960. She went on to attend Hillcrest Medical Center School of Nursing in Tulsa, OK; graduating in 1963. After moving to Colorado in 1965, she worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital and retired from Denver Health Medical Center where she spent the majority of her Nursing career.

She attended Riverside Baptist Church and Glennon Heights Mennonite Church where she enjoyed the fellowship of her friends. She loved travelling with friends and family, and visited Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Branson, Missouri and many places around Colorado. She was an avid reader and enjoyed many different kinds of books. She had a knack for interior decorating and loved to bake. Karen loved her dogs and spoiled them rotten! More importantly, she loved her family more than anything. She was always willing to sacrifice her own time, money and energy for the sake of her loved ones. She was the best mom we could have asked for. Because of her, we learned about God, caring for others, patience, humility, love and how to handle tough situations.

She is survived by her daughters Angela Marie (Herrod) Ricks (Joe) and their children Matthew, Josh, Katherine and Grace of Gunnison, Colorado and Tammy Jo (Herrod) Reale of Golden, CO and her step-children Brooks Reale (Coley) and Bailey (Reale) Green as well as her sister Delores (Penner) Dalke (John), their children, John, Mark and Matt; as well as her Brother Ray Penner (Marcia), and their sons Todd and Nick. She is also survived by her former spouse Tom Herrod.



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