Karen Rae Lafrenz

Karen Lafrenz, 79, of Columbia, Missouri, formerly of Oskaloosa, passed away on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Lenoir Woods Nursing Home in Columbia, Missouri. Karen Rae Lafrenz, daughter of Raymond F. and Dorothy J. Hall, formerly of Dubuque, Iowa, was born on February 23, 1947, in Moline, Illinois. She was a 1965 graduate of Dubuque Senior High School. Karen received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in English from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She later received her Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel with a minor in Counseling from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Karen married David E. Lafrenz on June 25, 1971, in Dubuque, Iowa. They began their life together in Iowa City. They later moved to Menlo Park, California, where she worked for Arcata Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. Upon returning to Iowa, Karen worked in the Department of Student Activities at the University of Iowa and served as president of the University of Iowa Staff Council for two years, representing staff concerns to the central administration. Karen later worked at Easter Iowa Management, where she served as Marketing Director for fourteen Wendy’s restaurants in Iowa and Illinois. When the couple moved to Columbia, Karen worked at Stephens College, where she served as the Director of Admissions for the Adult Programs. When Karen and David moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, Karen worked for Crisis Intervention Services. Karen was one of the two advocates in the State of Iowa to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsak, for her ten years of exemplary service in the field of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Following early retirement, Karen worked at William Penn University in Oskaloosa as an online teaching assistant for students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education. Those left to cherish Karen’s memory are her sons, both of Columbia, Missouri: Jarod (Kim) Lafrenz and Judd Lafrenz; her grandchildren: Elsie, William, Nolan, and Kevin; and her sister, Carla Hall of Noblesville, Indiana. Karen was preceded in death by her husband, David, and her parents. Funeral services for Karen will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Langkamp Funeral Chapel, with Rev. Jon Nelson of Central Church officiating. Visitation will begin Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Langkamp Funeral Chapel, with the family present from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. to greet relatives and friends. Interment will take place at Hudson Cemetery in Hudson, Iowa. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mahaska County Crisis Intervention Services, the Dubuque Arboretum, where her mother and father maintained the rose gardens for many years, or to the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in Hudson, Iowa.

Karen Rae Lafrenz

February 23, 1947 - June 3, 2026