- Born on: February 7, 1937
- Departed on: July 22, 2021
- Resided in: Des Moines , IA
Karen Johnson Haberly
Karen Johnson Haberly passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 22, 2021, succumbing to the effects of a stroke suffered over a year earlier.
Karen was the daughter of Hal and Esther Johnson of Chicago IL. She graduated from Glenbard High School, Lombard, IL in 1955 and then attended Iowa State University. She met her husband Charles Haberly from New Hampton IA at ISU. They were married in 1958 and moved to Cedar Rapids where Chuck was an Electrical Engineer for Collins Radio. Chuck was offered an intern position with the National Security Agency in Washington DC and they spent half a year in the DC area taking their young sons to the historical spots in the region.
They moved back to Ames where Chuck received his Ph.D and again back to Cedar Rapids to work at Collins Radio. Chuck and Karen raised their boys in Marion, IA and a few years later relocated in New Hampton to take over Chuck’s family agri-business. After the family farm hog raising business began to evolve into larger hog facilities, they left the business and moved to Stoughton, WI where Chuck was investment portfolio manager at American Family Insurance. Karen, who had spent years as a home maker and Mother, had the urge to get into the working field as the boys got older. Spending years as a substitute teacher in Iowa and Wisconsin, she took a position as Middle School Home Economics teacher in the Stoughton School District. After a few years, she took a Sales position with Wisconsin Office Supply. Her hard work and charm had found a niche. She became one of the leading Sales Associates in Madison. She loved her job along with the freedom and professional pride which it provided. In 1994, Chuck and Karen both retired and moved back to Ames where long-time friends from the college days had still lived and they enjoyed their retirement.
In 2001, Chuck passed away and Karen spent her last two decades in Ames and then in a retirement community in West Des Moines.
Karen is survived by her two sons, Carl (Memphis, TN) and Jeffery (Ames).
Services will be at 1:00pm Friday, July 30, 2021 at St. Marks Lutheran Church, 1105 Grand Ave., West Des Moines, IA 50265.
