Karen Ausenhus

Karen Kay Ausenhus was born May 31, 1938, to Eli and Eleanor Colby in Mason City, Iowa. She grew up the youngest of three children and enjoyed the bucolic small town feel of Hanlontown, Iowa, where Karen attended elementary and high school. In addition to her interests in the arts, Karen competed at the state level in public speaking, voice, and received an award for essay writing. Her love of music, however, was her greatest passion and she spent the rest of her life singing in the church choir as a soloist, and for many weddings, including her daughter’s wedding years later at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

After high school, Karen attended Iowa State University and married her high school sweetheart, John Ausenhus, in 1956. Karen and John were blessed with three children: Christen Quinn (Jon), Peter Ausenhus (Margaret), Ann Wyant (Rob), 11 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

In 1960 the family moved to Omaha, Nebr., where Karen and John raised their family, her greatest source of pride and joy. In the 1980s Karen returned to school and received her master’s degree in social work at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She worked at Richard Young Memorial Psychiatric Hospital for 25 years and Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice for eight years.

Karen was known by her family as “the pie lady” because of her famously exceptional pies. She was also a fabulous cook, wise counselor and a committed participant in many different roles over the 60 years attending Immanuel Lutheran Church. The most important things to Karen, however, were God and family.

Karen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early January and died March 2, 2025.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Eli and Eleanor Colby; brother John Colby and sister Janice Joslyn; brothers-in-law Tom Joslyn, Clell Bone, Robert Ausenhus, sisters-in-law Kathleen Colby and Mary Ellen Bone, and great-grandson Landon Quinn.

In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial gift to Immanual Lutheran Church, Omaha, Nebr.