Karen Felter

Karen Felter

Cedar Rapids

Karen Felter, 84, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away, on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at Corridor Crossing Place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A Celebration of Life will take place in June. The Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Karen was born on September 12, 1939, in Newton Township, Iowa, the daughter of Oscar and Marie (Leegaard) Charlson. She graduated from Lake Mills High School and completed a BSN of Nursing from the University of Iowa. Karen raised four children by herself during the pursuit of her nursing degree.

Karen worked as a public health nurse, a Professor of Nursing at Mt. Mercy College, and a hospice nurse.

Karen did not just light up a room when she entered, she lit it on fire. She was always ablaze with life, passion, and ideas. From her fiery maroon hair, to the tips of her painted toes, her zest for life was unparalleled. Leaving bright lipstick kisses on the faces of everyone she encountered. She sashayed through life weighed down only by copious amounts of jewelry she donned each morning. Karen lived her life loud and left a hollow quietness with her passing. No-one who met her could forget her laughter, the loud, raucous sound that often descended into tears of joy pouring down her face. Karen’s one true love was her family. She loved being with them and spent her retirement years traveling and living amongst them. Always ready for an adventure, she was keen to enjoy life to the fullest. Karen was a whole party in one person, and beneath the fun, an intensely loyal and loving sister, mother, Nana, and friend. Her family has lost a bright light and a fierce defender with her leaving, and she will be deeply missed.

Karen is survived by her children, Nicole (Rob) Faaborg, Darrin (Bea) Felter, Sean (Shar) Felter, and William Felter II; 13 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and siblings, Ruth Gilbert, Paul (Mary) Charlson, Judy (Paul) Walders, and Linda Vernon.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents, and siblings, Curtis Charlson, Mavis Cox, Delores Harms, Leona McFarlane, and Oscar Charlson Jr.

Please share your support and memories with Karen’s family on her Tribute Wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries.