Karen L. Dwyer, 61, of Farmington passed away Monday, April 9th at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Karen was born July 1, 1945, in Mayville, North Dakota, the daughter of Erling and Evelyn Groth. She attended Mayville High School and studied English and Elementary Education at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1967. She went on to earn her Masters degree in reading and remedial reading from the University of Chicago.
She moved to the Twin Cities in 1968 where she began her teaching career at Edward D. Neill Elementary School in Burnsville. On July 10, 1971, she married Richard D. Dwyer of Savage. Karen took time off from teaching to raise her two children, and returned to teaching at Child Development & Learning Center (CDLC) in 1980, where she served as a language arts instructor for preschoolers. Karen and Richard divorced in 1995, and Karen moved to Apple Valley, and then to Farmington, where she continued to teach at CDLC and privately tutor elementary students until her passing.
Karen was defined by her faith, her courage and her strength. Those around her knew her for her endless optimism and her limitless ability to love unconditionally. She had a life-long love of music. She played clarinet and piano, and participated in choir throughout high school and college, and often in church choirs thereafter. She was a longtime member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church where she found so much love and support in its clergy and congregation. While she battled breast cancer for more than fifteen years, she always seemed to be the one inspiring and encouraging those around her. Often donning a pink bandana during treatments, she acquired the glorious title of “Pink Grandma” from her adoring grandchildren.
Karen is survived by her son, Brian (Jennifer) of Northfield; her daughter, Maureen (Ben) of Farmington; her five grandchildren: Max, Sam, Ally, Anna and Erik; her sister, Mary (Clif) Rhodes of Eden Prairie; and her brother, Paul of San Francisco, California.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, April 14th at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley. Visitation is 6-8 PM, Friday at the church and also one hour before the service at the church, Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the CDLC Karen Dwyer Scholarship Fund, or to Susan G. Komen for the Cure (breast cancer research).