Karen Louise (Maxwell) Terpstra

Karen Louise Terpstra of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, exceptional and loving sister, mother, grandmother and friend, went home to be with the Lord on December 26, 2021 at the age of 68. To know her was to love her. Karen had a contagious zest for life, an incredibly kind heart, and loved her friends and family.

Karen was born in Evanston, IL on September 23, 1953 to Jim and Flo Maxwell. Jim was a financial advisor, which took their family, including her sister, Cathy, to various states. She graduated from Ridgewood, NJ high school and went to Drake University in 1971 where she studied education and was an active member of her beloved Delta Gamma sorority.

After marriage, Karen worked in a bank in Iowa City, worked at both IBM and Mastercard, and went on to be a grade school teacher. After spending time in Clinton, IA they moved to Eau Claire, WI in 1980, where Karen discovered her true passion of being a mother with the birth of her two children, Scott and Jennifer. Karen was an active and passionate community member in Eau Claire, including leading efforts and volunteering through Literacy Chippewa Valley, PEO, PTA and 1st Congregational Church. She enjoyed playing bridge and spending time reading up on the Royal Family. She loved to shop and cook, especially for others.

Karen is preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Flo Maxwell, and is survived by her sister, Cathy (Mike) Bratek, her children, Scott (Ashley) Terpstra, Jennifer (Kyle) Soens, her four grandchildren, Benjamin and Brooke Terpstra and Madelyn and Aubrey Soens, and two nieces, Stephanie Simms and Rachel Miklya. 

A visitation and funeral will be at St. Philip the Deacon Church, 17205 County Road 6 in Plymouth, MN on Friday, January 7th. The visitation will begin at 10:00am and funeral service at 11:00am with a luncheon to follow. If you are unable to attend in person, a virtual live stream of the funeral service will be available at www.spdlc.org/livestream
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Karen’s honor are preferred. Two organizations close to her heart:

Karen belonged to an organization called PEO: Philanthropic Educational Organization that supports providing educational scholarships for woman. A scholarship will be given in honor of Karen through her local chapter in Eau Claire, WI.  Donations may be made to chapter AP for the Karen Terpstra Memorial Scholarship:
                                                 Att. Marianne Klinkhammer, President
                                                 3903 House Road
                                                 Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701

The Retreat in Wayzata, MN, helping people through recovery – Donate to “Karen Terpstra’s Memorial”: https://info.theretreat.org/donate-giving-form 

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