Born in Fountain Green, Utah October 09, 1939. Died March 1, 2024.
After much suffering and enduring, Karyn finally went “home” after a long illness and found the peace for which she yearned.
Karyn grew up in Sanpete County and moved to Salt Lake City entering East High School and later the University of Utah. She met Ray at a fraternity party at the Old Mill. They began dating regularly and were married in 1961. She is survived by her husband Ray, daughters: Heidi [Peter] Sonntag of Scottsdale, AZ and Lisa Chatelain of Salt Lake City, sister Sheryl Larson of St. George, brother Danny [Kathy] Jensen of West Valley, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Karyn joined KSL-TV News as Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of News and Public Affairs. After several years, her professional career got a boost when LDS Hospital hired Karyn to establish a public relations department. She was well known for the strong staff she built, winning many awards, and becoming a member of the hospital administrative team. Karyn was twice elected president of the Utah Hospital Public Relations Association. She also did some public relations and marketing work for the northern region of IHC.
After retirement, she concentrated on her seven grandchildren and four great- grandchildren. Karyn also traveled to Ray’s professional conferences, primarily in San Francisco. They also loved summers at Sun Valley with their children.
Karyn loved gardening in bare feet and playing with the hose and water. She made things bigger than life, and that was part of her charm. She took up tennis in later years and was a real “hitter” loving to stroke the ball with Ray in long rally’s from the baseline. She had a wonderful sense of humor and people of all ages enjoyed being around her.
Karyn was always fashionable and a regular customer at all the high-end clothing stores. When she stopped shopping due to declining health, these stores suffered a big loss. She was a bit late for online shopping, otherwise she would have had multiple packages delivered daily.
She always loved kids. Before she had children, she would adopt neighbor kids for the day and take them to movies and lunches. She taught LDS Primary for 25 years.
Karyn loved country music. She was always sociable and the life of the party at all occasions. She would visit with anyone that looked like they needed a friend or an uplifting conversation.
A memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Cottonwood 4th Ward, 5565 South Neighbor Lane [1610 East], Holladay, UT. There will be a visitation from 11:00 to 11:50 am, prior to the services.
The family would like to extend a thank you to CNS Hospice for their help and care.