Karla Rae Steen

Karla Rae (Appleby) Steen was born October 16, 1973, in Virginia, Minnesota, to Carey and Hazel Appleby. She was the middle child, with an older sister and a younger brother. She often joked that it wasn’t easy being the middle child; not many pictures exist of her without a sibling or two in the photo! As a young child, Karla loved playing outdoor games with the neighborhood kids, dance lessons, ice skating, her baby dolls and her Barbies, and playing school. She enjoyed camping, swimming, and fishing with her family at one of the many lakes in northern Minnesota. Throughout her high school years, Karla participated in sports and a variety of clubs. She was on the swim, basketball, and track teams. She played clarinet as a member of the Virginia Marching Blues. Karla graduated from Virginia High School in 1992.

Karla was able to fulfill her dream of swimming for a college team when she became one of the “Fighting Sioux” as a member of the women’s swim team at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. She fulfilled a second dream by obtaining her BS in Elementary Education and becoming a teacher. A third dream came true at UND, she met and fell in love with John David Steen. The young couple dated throughout their college years, enjoying campus life, off campus adventures, and cementing their relationship. On a crispy, cold, snowy, and star filled night they were married on December 30, 1995 in Virginia, Minnesota.

As newlyweds, John and Karla lived in Bloomington, Minnesota. While John pursued and obtained his chiropractic degree, Karla was a teacher for the Lakeville School District. After John graduated , they moved to the upper peninsula of Michigan for John to pursue his chiropractic career. While there, another of Karla’s dreams came true, they welcomed their daughter Abby to their family. Not long after Abby was born, the couple made the move to Bottineau, North Dakota, in pursuit of establishing John’s chiropractic practice. Despite living close to family, the long, cold winters were not for them, and when Colorado called with a new opportunity for John, they decided to make the move. Their first move was to Monte Vista, Colorado and their last move was to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Throughout their moves, Karla always had a teaching position in a number of different school districts. She obtained her Master’s Degree in School Library Media from the University of Maryland in 2010. She was a teacher in District 11, Colorado Springs, for more than two decades, finishing her career as a longtime kindergarten teacher at Madison Elementary. Karla was a dedicated, kind, and caring teacher.

She always had a large circle of friends and maintained many friendships across the changing seasons of life; remaining close with many childhood, high school, and college friends throughout her life. She loved fiercely and cared deeply about her family, friends, and students. Karla was a loving and dedicated wife and mother. She and John supported Abby in all of her school and athletic activities. Countless hours were spent carpooling and at the pool as Abby swam competitively. Together as a family they enjoyed board games, being outdoors, watching hockey, and exploring Colorado. As an individual, Karla enjoyed talking with and spending time with her friends, shopping for a good deal, fishing, and a good ice cream treat.

Karla is survived by her daughter Abigail Steen, parents Carey and Hazel Appleby, sister Tammi (Jaret) Wilkins, brother Ryan (Lauri) Appleby. Her nieces Nicole (Matt) Niehoff and their children Grayson, Natalie, and Madelyn, and Tanya Hoyt and her children Adeline and Evelyn, her mother-in-law Chris Sund, brother-in-law Mark (Sarah) Steen, her stepmother-in-law Nancy Steen, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and many dear friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband John Steen (August 2023), her father-in-law Julius Ronald Steen, and her maternal and paternal grandparents.

Services will be held on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, at 11 AM at Envoy Church in Colorado Springs (2025 N. Murray Blvd).

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. All memorials received will be used to create a fund to support literacy and social-emotional health programs for young children.