Karen Holmen Obituary Karen Marie Holmen (ne Schutte), 82, a long-time resident of Nisswa, MN, journeyed to her heavenly home on Thursday, March 27, 2025. A memorial and celebration of life will be held at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa, MN, on Friday, April 25, with visitation at 11:00 a.m., service at 12:00 p.m., and luncheon to follow. Funeral attire is welcome, but so are Easter/spring outfits that are bright and cheery! Karen was the second-born of four spirited German-Polish kids to parents Alvin and Mary Schutte (ne Szachniewicz). Karen, and siblings Diane, Dean, and Kim enjoyed a wonderful childhood on the family farm in Maple Grove and attended school in nearby Osseo. The Schutte farm was a busy place a frequent stop of neighbors, family members and friends and home to many beloved animals including Karen's pet cow, Pat, whom she showed at various fairs through 4-H. After graduation, Karen attended Mankato State University where she prepared for a teaching career in Home Economics. Mankato State is also where she met the love of her life, Dennis (Denny), through the Christian-based Gamma Delta community. Following college, Karen traveled west to her first teaching job in Great Falls, Montana, eventually returning to Minnesota to teach in the Osseo school system alongside some beloved fellow teachers who became lifelong friends. She and Denny were married on March 26, 1966, and made their way up the North Shore of Lake Superior to Lutsen Resort for a skiing honeymoon. They spent many incredible years adventuring "BK" (Before Kids), both as a couple as well as with many amazing friends, whether fishing and relaxing on Lake Gogebic, exploring Switzerland while Denny was based there short-term for work, or skiing the mountains of Montana, Switzerland, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Canada, Idaho, Minnesota, and the UP of Michigan. While living in Wayzata, Minnesota, the couple built a cabin on West Twin Lake near Nisswa, an area they had grown to love. In 1974, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Jodi, and in 1976, added their second daughter, Jill. It was while Karen was pregnant with Jill that the couple moved north full time to a new home on Round Lake in Nisswa. As one of the first homes on the lake, Karen occasionally wondered why she left the urban conveniences of city life for what felt like "the sticks," but quickly fell in love with the wildness of the woods, the call of the loons, the pristine water, and an abundance of new friends they had come to call "home." Karen was a full-time Mom at this point, raising a couple of strong-willed daughters while Denny worked for Crow Wing County in Brainerd. She loved sewing Jodi and Jill matching homemade outfits, decorating their home with her creative, classy design eye, and cooking and baking feasts for occasions big and small. Truly her "language of love," no one ever left the Holmen house without a full stomach and feeling of warm, genuine belonging. As Jodi and Jill became teenagers, she entered into a new career phase that of designer and craft-maker, transforming a fun hobby into a full-time business called The Pine Bough. She worked for months each year preparing for her annual sale at her Round Lake home and sold her designs during tourist season at the Carriage House and Gallery in Nisswa, where she also worked. This was also a labor of love for Denny, who spent countless nights after work at his skill saw in the garage, cutting out the wood patterns Karen prepared for him. Tiny intricate piece after piece cut, painted, and finished this "little side business" is what put daughters Jodi and Jill each through four years of college. After putting her craft business aside, Karen put her knack for design and dcor to work again as an employee at Buffalo Plaid in Nisswa, making a new set of treasured friends and helping out with the annual Christmas Tour of Homes fundraiser. In 2012, Karen met the second love of her life, grandson Riley Holmen Lewis, who has been the sparkle in her eye ever since. She and Denny enjoyed watching Riley grow up from a toddler in Colorado to a beloved visitor at Round Lake, where he got his first John Deere tractor and pontoon rides, and became Fan #1 of Grandmas cookies. Karen and Denny were both active members of Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa, and Karen was always proud to share that she was the longest-tenured member of the LCC choir and had "her chair" to prove it. She loved music and singing, springtime at the lake, cruises on the pontoon, wine time with friends, enjoying the view of Round Lake from her sun porch, planting flowers, celebrating each holiday "to the nines," and most importantly, spending treasured time with all her beloved friends and family members. Karen passed away at Essential-St. Josephs Medical Center in Brainerd, Minnesota, after a three-week stay. She was admitted with rapid-onset pneumonia and a urinary tract infection on March 6, the compound effects of which led to sepsis and lung damage in the form of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). This left her body exhausted and her lungs unable to sustain adequate oxygenation on their own. In the last few days she was comfortable and able to feel, hear, and absorb all the love sent from near and far. Karen passed peacefully just before 9 p.m. on March 27, one day after her and Dennys 59th wedding anniversary. Karen is preceded in death by husband Dennis Holmen, parents Alvin and Mary Schutte, Caroline Schutte, and brother-in-law Bob Hewitt. She is survived by daughters Jodi Lewis (Nathan, Riley); Jill Holmen (Joe Taatjes); sister Diane Hewitt; brother Dean Schutte (Nancy); sister Kim Owen (Joel); a large extended family, and many loving friends, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers or memorials, donations can be made in Karens honor