A Family Funeral Home
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Dolores H. Karls

November 15, 1934 - June 25, 2024
Union Grove, WI

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Visitation

Wednesday, July 3, 2024
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM CDT
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church
3320 S. Colony Avenue
Union Grove, WI 53182

Service

Wednesday, July 3, 2024
2:00 PM CDT
St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church
3320 S. Colony Avenue
Union Grove, WI 53182

Life Story / Obituary


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Dolores Helen Karls, age 89, passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at Lakeland Medical Center, Elkhorn, WI. She was born in Milwaukee, WI, November 15, 1934, daughter of Herman and Helen (Nee: Zimmerman) Oldenburg.

Dolores graduated from Riverside High School “Class of 1953” and from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1957 with a degree in elementary education. She moved to Racine in the fall of 1957 and taught at S.C. Johnson School. On July 16, 1960, she was united in marriage to Wayne G. Karls, and they were married for 62 years when Wayne passed on January 3, 2023.

When her children were young she left full time teaching for several years and ran the Y-TOT Nursery. She later went back to teaching at Roosevelt then to Jefferson Lighthouse when the gifted program began and worked there until retirement in 1997; having worked for 26 years for the Racine Unified School District. Her love of teaching continued beyond retirement as she worked as a substitute teacher for RUSD and also served as a mentor to young women that were incarcerated at the Union Grove women’s facility. She served as a test writer for the Wisconsin DPI, helped to develop the curriculum for the early years of the gifted program in Racine and completed graduate work in Gifted Education. She was nominated by former students for Who’s Who Among American Teachers in 1998 and again in 2004. In her words "Working with children is what I enjoy more than anything."

She was a girl scout leader for both of her daughters and enjoyed spending time at camps with them and spent many years involved with the YMCA boys choir while Mark was involved with that. She spent many happy years watching her own children, and then her 6 grandchildren participate in sports and in music. She loved knitting for family, friends, Toys for Tots and other groups. She enjoyed traveling and has many memories of spending time with family and friends up at their farm. In her last years she treasured her time with family, breakfasts with former coworkers, cards with friends and watching her music reality shows.

She is survived by her 3 children, Debra (Dennis) Shufelt, Charlene Karls, Mark (Terri) Karls; 6 grandchildren, Jeremy, Adam and Taylor Shufelt, Samantha Karls, and Nicolette and Kaitlyn Karls. In addition, she is survived by 2 sisters in law, Joyce Stindle and Jean Karls, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her step mother, Annette Oldenburg.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 3320 S. Colony Avenue, Union Grove WI 53182, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 2 pm. Private interment will be held at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the church prior to the Mass 12:30 – 2 pm.

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