Karen Kay Oelschlager

                      Karen Kay Oelschlager, age 80 of Akeley, MN passed away on August 20, 2019 at Heritage Living Center, Park Rapids, MN.             Karen was born on January 9, 1939 in Minneapolis, MN as the only child born to General “George” and Kate Hamlett.  She resided in Excelsior on a truck farm owned and operated by her parents.  She graduated from Minnetonka in 1957.  It was there that she met and on October 25, 1958 was married to Gerald “Jerry” Oelschlager.  A daughter, Sandra was born in 1959.  The young couple moved to Bloomington, MN where she worked at Holiday and Greyhound Bus Line and later was employed at Marv H. Anderson Construction in her dream job as secretary treasurer for the company and as a closer for the home construction business.             In 1972, she and Jerry moved their home to Memphis, TN until 1974, when they returned to Dassel, MN to finish off their retirement dream home on Collinwood Lake.  She was employed at the Dassel-Cokato High School system from 1975 to 1995; when she retired to become an Arizona snowbird.  In the mid-1980’s she and Jerry purchased a farm near Darwin, MN where they raised beef cattle, hogs and chickens. They also purchased a bar and restaurant in 1986 in Dassel; which they remodeled around a German theme and named it after Jerry’s father, “Gustav’s On Main” They later sold this business to their daughter, but helped her run it for nearly 20 years, until it was sold in 2005.  In 1995, she and Jerry took a once in a lifetime trip and drove their RV to Alaska. From 1995 through 2005, they spent their winters in Apache Junction, AZ.  In 2005, they returned to Minnesota to make their home north of Menahga.  She enjoyed retirement until her husband was diagnosed in 2011 with a lung disease.  Her life changed on May 26, 2012, when her husband passed away and on March 21, 2013, when her cat, Pawes, passed away after being part of the family for 12 years.  And again on May 14, 2013, she lost her Menahga home to the Green Valley fire. She and her daughter relocated to the Nevis, MN area and in 2018 they moved into their new home in Akeley, MN.            She will be lovingly remembered by her daughter, Sandra Oelschlager, Akeley, MN; sister-in-law, Geri Oelschlager of Minnetonka, MN; cousins, Marcia and Larry Oelschlager of Akeley, MN; Ryan, Christine, Calli, Gavin, and MaKenna Oelschlager of Nevis, MN; and brother-in-law, Roger (Ann) Oelschlager of St. Paul, MN.            She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry; her cat, Pawes and her parents.            Memorial services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, MN.  Honorary urn bearers will be:  Geri Oelschlager, Marcia Oelschlager, Larry Oelschlager, Ryan Oelschlager, Randy Oelschlager, Shannon Avenson, Brad Skalberg and Mark Hanson.  Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service on Saturday.  Interment will be following the service at Lemon Cemetery, Baudora Township, Hubbard County.