Passed away on June 17, 2020, surrounded by those who loved her after a brief, but fearless battle with cancer.
Karen lived her life fiercely and passionately, and also with compassion and generosity. She devoted herself to helping others, guiding them to live a life of wellness. She was an avid marathoner and trail runner admired by her companions and described as a beast on the road or trail. Karen’s great love was her rescue bulldogs who were her constant companion over the years. Their funny faces always made her laugh.
Karen was born in Scott City, Kansas on March 27, 1967 to Wilda and Arthur Kalbach. A passion for health and fitness began early when she began competing in fun runs and 5Ks in her youth. She realized how much she enjoyed exercising and it became an important part of her life. She competed in 14 marathons and numerous other races including a half marathon this past February. She ran the Boston Marathon three times. The most recent Boston Marathon was 2019 and she qualified and committed to running more Boston Marathons.
Karen studied Exercise Science at Kansas State University and after graduating became a certified personal trainer. When she realized the role that massage therapy plays in workout recovery, injury prevention, stress reduction and overall wellness, she became a massage therapist. Through her personal health issues and discoveries, Karen realized she was in a position to help others and she founded K2 Wellness. Her practice allowed her to continue her own journey to health while training and educating clients through a natural approach. Karen was able to achieve a dream that many could not: she loved her work and cared deeply about the health of her clients.
Karen surely impacted the lives of every person she came into contact with. She found joy in many things: cooking for family and friends, introducing them to amazing gluten and dairy-free dishes; long Saturday morning runs; relaxing Sunday morning trail hikes; photographing wildflowers; and traveling with her partner Tom. Karen generously supported bulldog rescues around the world and doted on her own bulldogs, Bridgette, Delilah and TAZ.
Karen will be dearly missed by her loving partner, Tom Stelter; her father, Arthur Kalbach; her siblings, Vicki (Dennis) Hopper, Vincent (Shari) Kalbach, and Chris (Jennifer) Kalbach; her nieces, Annie and Ellie Hopper and Morgan and Abby Kalbach; Tom’s daughters, Coley and Tori Stelter and the entire Stelter family; her dog, Taz; and many friends. She was preceded in death by her mother, Wilda Kalbach.
A memorial service for Karen will be held on Saturday, June 27, 4:00 pm at Majorie Goodyear’s House. The address is 6570 N. Village Road Parker, CO 80134. Please see the Facebook event for more details.
Donations in Karen’s name may be made to the K2 Bulldog Rescue Fund. https://gf.me/u/x9x3ft
A memory or message of condolence may be left at www.olingerchapelhill.com
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