She was the middle sister of Marlene Ruhga (Chuck) and Jan Shamburg (Tom), a fact that she was very proud of.
Karen grew up in Syracuse, NE where she attended high school and was an active member of the marching band, theater groups and the 4H. She and her sisters helped her parents, Burton and Ruby Copenhaver, around the farm before and after school. After high school, she moved to Lincoln, NE to begin her life.
Professionally, Karen was a lot of things. She held roles from secretary to Director of the Dodge City Housing authority. Later in life, she worked as support for several lawyers as a contractor, working from her home. She retired in September 2022.
Karen was a social person, she was an active member of Heritage Presbyterian Church where she served as an Elder and sang in the church choir. She also was an original member of the hand-bell choir. She was a past president of Cornhusker Kiwanis and was an active member until the day she died.
Karen married Gene Minks on August 12, 1962. They raised two boys, Michael (Gina) of Dallas, TX and Scott (Candice) of Lincoln. Gene was the love of her life and remained so even after his death in 1992. The Minks clan moved around a bit, moving from Lincoln to Kansas City in the late 70’s and then to Dodge City, KS in the early 80’s. After Gene’s death, Karen moved back to Lincoln to be near friends, family, Mike and Scott.
While Karen did not have any grandchildren, she fully endorsed and spoiled her many grand-cats and grand-dog.
Karen was a hard charger. So much so, she walked with a forward lean. Every task that needed to be done, Karen was there to step up and make sure it got done. Many pancake feeds, church pot lucks and family dinners happened through her sheer force of will.
Later in her life, Karen loved to travel. Whether through adventures with her sister-in-law Barb Duerksen (Willis) to Europe, Colorado and other destinations, family visit trips with her sisters to our far flung family or to the Caribbean and Alaska with her kids, she explored and took in as much beauty as she could. Every winter for the past several years, she packed up and moved south to Orange Beach, AL to spend some time on the ocean. She truly valued that time and made sure we all got the sunset pictures to prove it. While every year was going to be “her last year”, it was an important part of her year and truly one of her “happy places”.
Family members include her sons Michael (Gina) Minks, Dallas, TX and Scott (Candice) Minks, Lincoln; sisters Marlene (Chuck) Ruhga, Omaha and Janet (Tom) Shamburg, Lincoln; sister-in-law Barbara (Willis) Duerksen, Lincoln; brother-in-law Robert (Jackie) Minks, Bella Vista, AR; various nieces and nephews.
Preceded in death by her parents, husband Gene, and brother David.
Memorial service: 11:00 am Saturday, October 14, 2023, Heritage Presbyterian Church, 880 South 35th Street.
Memorials to Heritage Presbyterian Church, Cornhusker Kiwanis or Minks Family Scholarship Fund.