Karen Grossheider

Karen Grossheider, 79 year old resident of St. Cloud, MN passed away Sunday, January 25, 2026 at Ecumen St. Benedict Senior Community in St. Cloud, MN. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at the First United Methodist Church in Sartell, MN. Visitation will be from 10-11 A.M. on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at the First United Methodist Church in Sartell, MN. Caring for Karen and her family is the LeMieur Funeral Home in Little Falls, MN. To watch the livestream click the link and you will be re-directed. Once re-directed, click Karen Grossheider button to view livestream. https://www.lovefirstumc.org/#Livestream Karen was born on June 18, 1946, in Fargo, North Dakota to the late Harold and Ilo (Davis) Koenning. She grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, graduating from Moorhead High School in 1964. She went onto Moorhead State University to become a teacher, graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in 1968. During the summer after her sophomore year, Karen took a train west for a summer job in Yellowstone National Park. It was there, while working at West Thumb, that she met R.C., a college student from Missouri and the love of her life. The two summers in Yellowstone, solidified their love of the mountains and the Parks. Karen was united in marriage to RC Grossheider on August 17, 1968 in Moorhead, Minnesota. Her teaching career began in classrooms in Missouri, Georgia and Texas, after RC was drafted into the army. Moving to Montana was their dream and they made Columbus their home for 30 years. Karen taught kindergarten and inspired generations of kids in her classroom. Music was an important part of each day in her class and she could play the piano and sing songs for almost any occasion. They moved to Cokato, Minnesota, in 2001 and taught at Holy Trinity School in Winsted. Karen retired after 38 years as an educator in 2006. They have lived in St. Cloud since 2013 and enjoyed summers at their home in Montana near Glacier National Park. Family and friends were very important to Karen. She made and kept lifelong friendships everywhere they lived. She always had the perfect card for any occasion, loved to host friends and family at their house and was just the best person to talk with on the phone. She was an avid reader, participating in many book clubs and giving out suggestions for titles or authors to read until her last days. But her most treasured role was that of Grandma and she absolutely loved her four grandchildren. She made sure they had books from birth and enjoyed many hours watching and supporting their various activities. Karen was adventurous and loved to travel, often driving out of their way to visit a national park. Her faith was very important to her and she volunteered her time and talents in each of their church communities – Community Congregational in Columbus, Montana, Dassel Covenant Church and First United Methodist. Karen is survived by her husband of 57 years; daughters, Gail (Troy) Olson of Burtrum, MN and Julie (Kyle) Schmidt of Pasco, Washington; grandchildren, Haley (Carter) Scrimshaw, Samantha Schmidt, Adam Olson, and Seth Schmidt; brothers, Doug (Dianne) Koenning and Keith (Pat) Koenning; sister-in-law, Jody (Henry) Neufeld and many nieces and nephews. Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Harold & Ilo Koenning; in-laws, Bob and Marybelle Grossheider and nephew, James Webb.

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Karen Grossheider

June 18, 1946 - January 25, 2026