Karen Roningen, 83, of Nielsville died on Sunday, May 14, 2023 at Essentia Health in Fargo.
Karen Patricia Ode was born December 8, 1939, to P. Norman and Esther (Olson) Ode at St. Marys Hospital in Detroit Lakes, MN. She graduated from Audubon High School in 1957. She continued her education at Moorhead State College (now MSUM) receiving her Bachelors degree in English and Business Education, and later, her Masters degree in English.
After graduating in 1960, she began her teaching career in Slayton, MN. One year later, she moved back to the Detroit Lakes area and taught at the junior high school for the next nine years. During this time, she was introduced to her future husband, Stanley.
Stanley and Karen were married at First Lutheran Church in Audubon on a hot day, August 20, 1966, and were blessed with one daughter, Patricia.
In 1970, Karen and Stanley bought a farm close to Stanleys family in Nielsville. Karen then began teaching in Ada, MN, where she taught for the next 32 years until her retirement in 2002. Her love of teaching eventually brought her back to substituting for various schools. Even after Stanleys passing in 2015, Karen was still determined to continue their love of farming, doing so up to her death.
Karen loved teaching and all of her students. She had a great memory and could even recall exactly where her former students sat in her classroom. She was honored to be the recipient of the Ada-Borup Teacher of the Year for the 1993-1994 school year.
Along with teaching and learning, Karen also loved farming and the outdoors. She told many stories of when her dad was farming and the techniques used to harvest wheat, potatoes, etc. Karen and Stanley enjoyed going for drives, even if it was only ‘around the block,’ to inspect how the crops were doing; a process that could be done in 20 minutes, but usually took the better part of two hours! She also loved gardening and watching the trees blow in the wind.
Karen is survived by her daughter, Tricia, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her husband, Stanley; parents, mother and father-in-law, Alfred and Esther Roningen, and her brother, Paul.
Funeral: 10:30 AM, Thursday, May 18, 2023 at Grace Lutheran Church, Ada, MN.
Visitation: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at Fredrikson-Ganje Funeral Home, Ada, MN.
Interment: St. Petri Lutheran Cemetery, rural Nielsville, MN.
Please view our guestbook and share condolences online at www.fredriksonfh.com
Arrangements with Fredrikson-Ganje Funeral Homes
Ada & Halstad, Minnesota
