Karen Louise (Tomter) Pfeiler
PFEILER, TOMTER, MONSON, GRAY, KIMURA, BRANDEL, REISCH, HUHLE, COOPER, KAESBAUER, MUNTZ
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 7/13/2021 at 10:27:19
Karen Louise (Tomter) Pfeiler, 75, of Iowa City, passed away unexpectedly on June 18, 2021, at her home in Iowa City.
Visitation will be from 2:00-3:30 PM followed by a memorial service at 3:30 PM on June 24th, 2021 at St Peter Lutheran Church, 3200 Asbury Road in Dubuque, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed toward The Family of Karen Pfeiler in care of Lisa Gray.
Karen was born on October 8, 1945, in White Hall, Wisconsin, the daughter of Floyd and Doris (Monson) Tomter. Karen was the first born of five (yes, five!) daughters. The Tomter family lived in Osseo, Wisconsin for many years, then Independence, Missouri for a short time before settling in Dubuque just before Karen’s senior year of high school. She graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1963.
Karen was a people person and worked in customer service jobs during most of her life, including Hartig Drug Stores, First National Bank, MerriMac Sales, Betty Jane Candies (where she never tired of eating their homemade chocolate), Best Western Dubuque Inn and finally retired from Hills Bank in Iowa City in 2011. After retirement, she babysat for other families who needed help with their children and didn’t have family nearby, becoming a surrogate grandma for more than one family.
Karen had a big heart and would do anything for anyone, many times at the expense of her own needs or wants. She was often the voice of reason, as the first born, but she also knew how to have a good time. She looked forward to the once or twice yearly “Sisters Weekends” with her younger sisters. When her daughters and nieces reached a “certain age”, they were invited to join the fun to carry the tradition forward. When she was younger, Karen loved bowling, and she was really good! One year, she was on a bowling team made up of all five Tomter girls, something their dad was especially proud of, being a Bowling Hall of Fame member himself. She enjoyed gardening, reading, playing euchre, and liked watching NASCAR, golf and football. She especially enjoyed talking sports with her grandson, Alex.
Karen was truly wonderful! She was patient, kind and understanding. When her children were young, many of their friends felt she was like an extra mother to them. Karen moved to Iowa City in 2001 to be near her daughters. She loved taking care of her grandchildren, whenever and wherever she was needed, both in Iowa City and when it required traveling to Colorado, where her son lived with his family. Karen always said her children were her whole world, which her children didn’t fully understand until becoming parents themselves. She loved cooking for special occasions and was known for making her famous graham cracker crust cream pie and rosettes.
Karen is already missed by all who knew her. She is survived by daughters Lisa (Cabel) Gray, Lori (Joe) Kimura and son, Michael Pfeiler; her grandchildren, Cooper and Elsa Gray, Alex, Leslie and Anthony Kimura and Maya, Ayla and Jacob Pfeiler; her mother, Doris Tomter; and four sisters, Carolyn (Ken) Brandel, Shirley (Bob) Reisch, Janet Kuhle, Barbara (Rick) Cooper; stepchildren Tammy (Ron) Kaesbauer and Rick Pfeiler; eight nieces and nephews and many great nieces and great nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, Floyd Tomter; nephew, Billy Muntz; and Lucky Dog.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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