Karen Marsden-Keyser was born to Harold and Audrey Hood on November 14, 1943, in Alliance, NE. She grew up on a wheat farm where she learned to love nature, flowers, and animals. She graduated from Gordon High School in 1961 and attended National College of Business to study secretarial sciences.
In Rapid City, she met K.C. Marsden of Wall, an engineering student at SDSMT. They married in 1964 and raised three kids in Rapid City: Melanie Marsden, of Colorado Springs (Joe Loetscher and kids, Delaney and Casey); Valerie Simpson of Rapid City (David and kids, Joshua and Joelle); and Kenneth Marsden of Idaho Falls (Elizabeth and kids, Elliott, Chas, and Finn). Karen fought stage-4 lung cancer, exceeding everyone's expectations many times over, so that she could watch these grandkids grow up and discover their gifts.
While primarily a homemaker, she worked for the SD Board of Engineering Examiners, Westhills Village, and United Airline's Mileage Plus once the kids were in school. She took full advantage of United's travel benefits to explore England, Peru, Costa Rica, and many domestic locations. In addition to being a great travel planner and lover of the outdoors, Karen was an avid gardener, accomplished big game hunter, and cat fancier. She was a member of Republican Women and Beta Sigma Phi (for 50+ years).
Karen met Bill Keyser, a widower from Williston, ND, when both were in their mid-sixties. They married on June 9, 2007. Bill was a welcome addition to the family, spending time with Karen's family and standing beside her in her 5-year battle with cancer.
She was a fighter to the very end on September 22, 2018, and we know she will now be tending the flowers and kitties in Heaven while basking in the tunes of angelic harp. In lieu of flowers, Karen identified two charities supporting felines care. The Home for the Holiday's campaign for the Black Hills Humane Society and Toliver Angel Fund 1813 N. Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 at Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic for the care of orphaned and abandoned animals.
Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 26, at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.
Funeral services will be 11:30 a.m. Thursday, September 27, 2018, at the First United Methodist Church in Rapid City. Burial will follow at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Deadwood.