Karen Anne Larsen

Karen Anne Larsen passed away peacefully on December 11, 2025. She was 11 days shy of her 96th birthday and had been dealing with Parkinson’s disease.

Karen was born on December 22, 1929 on the island of Falster in Denmark. After school and on weekends, she and her older sister, Inger Marie, helped their parents with chores on the farm. For fun, Karen loved playing handball and participating in gymnastics.

In 1958, Karen married Peter Larsen, whose family had a farm nearby. Karen had a lot of trust and faith in Peter and his decisions. He had his sights set on moving to California and Karen was excited to accompany him after the wedding. They bought a small house in Long Beach and welcomed two daughters while living there: Anne-Sofie and Charlotte.

It was sometimes difficult and lonely being so far away from family, so Karen, Peter and the girls moved back to Denmark in 1964 and built a house in Solrød. The red brick house was beautiful, but America was calling them back. So in 1966, the Larsen’s moved again - this time to a 4 bedroom house in Orange County. Karen loved the California weather and the quaint Garden Grove neighborhood. Though a bit of an introvert, she did join a bowling team and loved beach days with the neighbor moms and their kids. In 1970, Karen and Peter welcomed baby Henrik and a few years later moved a short distance to their dream home in Westminster. Karen loved the extra space; it was perfect for hosting parties and visitors from Denmark. But the best part of the new home was the yard; it was quite large and she took immense pride in her flowers, vegetable garden and fruit trees (including oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and avocados). And while she was outside tending to the garden, she could simultaneously work on her suntan.

Karen and Peter were very happy together and were very aligned throughout their relationship. They loved to entertain and visit with family and friends; everyone was always welcome. They cherished their Danish friendships and embraced their new American friends and culture. Karen cooked, baked, cleaned and decorated; she was the perfect homemaker. Holidays were extraordinary! Easter egg hunts in the big garden were quite the competition. And springtime meant the freesia would be blooming. Guests always received a bouquet to take home; to this day, the beautiful scent of these flowers reminds us of Karen. There were æbleskiver (Danish pastry) served on Halloween and big pumpkins grown in her garden for the grandchildren. The countdown to Christmas was especially magical. She hung little wrapped gifts on the needlepoint advent calendars for her children and grandchildren; one package for each day in December. And there was always a Christmas advent candle lit on the kitchen table at mealtime, counting down the days until Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the house was filled with excitement. After a delicious dinner, there was risallamande, a special Danish rice pudding dessert. If your scoop of pudding contained the hidden whole almond, you won a prize - either a marzipan pig or a chocolate See’s Santa. After dinner, it was time to dance around the Christmas tree. Everyone would hold hands and slowly walk around the tree singing Christmas songs. Once she gave the sign, it was time to unleash the chaos and open presents, filling the house with wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tinsel.

Together, Karen and Peter loved to travel; Karen was always up for an adventure. Road trips were a wonderful way to see the United States and Canada. In the early days, they camped in a tent and tent trailer. The big splurge came when they bought a motor home; this was like a second home to Karen. It was especially fun when family and friends wanted to join them on a trip. They also fell in love with cruising; Karen could relax and leave the cooking and cleaning to someone else. They made regular trips to Denmark to visit family and traveled with dear friends to China and South America. There were also several extended family vacations including Hawaii, Tahiti, Panama Canal and the Mediterranean that will be remembered by all of us with great fondness.

Karen was a doer and always busy. She loved knitting and made beautiful sweaters and fun little booties. Whether it was driving a tractor in her teens, shoveling gravel into a cement mixer in her 30’s or mowing her own lawn in her eighties, Karen had incredible drive and was very physically fit.

Karen loved the family dogs and they respected her. They were a significant part of the family and even traveled on some vacations with them.

The light in Karen dimmed when Peter passed in 2015, after 56 years of marriage. Her family and lifelong friends rallied around her to make her feel comforted and loved. She was a fighter and never gave up on life.

After Karen’s heart attack in early 2020, she needed assistance and could no longer live alone. She moved into a lovely board and care residence in Mission Viejo where she was very well taken care of. Family and friends visited regularly and there were small get togethers in the garden, which was a highlight for Karen and her family.

We treasure our time on earth with Karen; her spirit will live forever in our hearts. Heaven gained an angel; it was time for her to be with God and those who have passed before. We love her dearly and will miss her deeply. Until we see each other again…

Karen is survived by her 3 children, their spouses, 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.