Karen K Hean

Memorial services will be held at 10am on the 19th of March 2022 at First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, IA. A luncheon will be held immediately after in Fellowship Hall. Burial will be at Rock Island National Cemetery on a later date with family.

Karen was born on March 4, 1959 in Syracuse, NY to Thomas Nicholas Kalshoven and Mary Elizabeth Rienbeck. She was married to Wayne Morrison Hean on August 14, 1982 in Davenport, IA. For the last decade she worked at EH Schroder Insurance, and was set to retire the month of her passing.

As an alumna of the University of Iowa, Karen was a lifetime learner. After her graduation she, worked as Director of Childcare for twenty-five years. From editing teachers’ assignments for their higher education to creating learning tools for toddlers, no amount of learning was too much. As a member of First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, IA she found peace on Earth in the Sanctuary Choir, taught Bethel to adults and Sunday school to children, and was a deacon and a member of session. When she was not learning or teaching, you might have seen her helping the Democratic Party with fundraisers or chairing committees.

Her favorite sport was being a cheerleader for her three talented children; from dance to show choir you could hear her in the stands: the proud mother. As she was preparing for retirement, you would see her in the garden, tending to the chickens or keeping the bees. The many people who came to see her as they collected farm fresh eggs for their homes often found her canning, baking, or otherwise enjoying the fruits of her labor with her partner in life.

Those left to cherish Karen's memory are her husband Wayne Hean; children Kathryn (Joel) Hasenmiller, James Hean, William Hean; grandchildren Elizabeth, Thomas and Nicolas Hasenmiller; siblings David Kalshoven and Peter Kalshoven; and many nieces and nephews.

Those that preceded her in death were her mother and father, Mary and Thomas Kalshoven.

Special thanks to all who helped her become the beautiful person she was in life. Her "bee kind" attitude was not just a mantra but a lifeline for the village of children she helped raise over the years. She was not just a mother to her children but a mother of the people. We could not be more proud.