Karen Goettler

KAREN GOETTLER

Luana

Karen Lee Goettler died Sunday, May 25, 2014, in her home in the Hogback Mountains, near Montrose, Colo., after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.

She was born Aug. 14, 1962, in Postville, Iowa. She was baptized Aug. 23, 1962, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Monona. She attended MFL schools and graduated as valedictorian im 1979, then attended the University of Iowa. While at the University of Iowa, she worked for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She graduated from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., with a degree in electrical engineering. After graduating, she worked for AT&T in Phoenix, Ariz., and Motorola in Denver, Colo.

She and some friends started a company called Peak Solutions, which was later sold. Karen and her husband ran a business called Hogback Builders from their home.

She enjoyed the outdoors, biking, hunting, camping and leading groups snowshoeing for six years at Telluride. The last few years time was spent in Puerto Mundo, Mexico, enjoying warm weather, biking

and paddle boarding.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Walters, Montrose, Colo.; her parents, Carol Lee and Oswald Goettler; sisters, Gwendolyn (Bill) Mitton, West Des Moines, Mary (Blake) Balzart, White Bear Lake, Minn., Linda Goettler, White Bear Lake, Minn., and Julie (Dennis) Rumohr, Moville; one brother, Eric (Rita) Goettler, Central City; six nephews; two nieces; and one great-nephew.

She was preceded in death by a nephew, Trace Kundel.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 7, in Luana.,