Karen Jean Stille of Peyton, Colorado, passed away peacefully at home on July 9, 2026, at the age of 68. She was born on January 13, 1958, to Mary and Paul Christensen in Ames, Iowa where Paul was attending Iowa State University. Upon obtaining his degree, Paul moved his family to Marshalltown, Iowa, where Karen grew up.
She graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1976. While attending Iowa State University, Karen met fellow ISU attendee Jeffrey “Jeff” Stille from rural Swaledale, Iowa. The romance took off and they were married on July 1, 1978, and together they shared 48 beautiful years.
After following Jeff’s career around central Iowa and having two wonderful children, Karen was hired on at Swine Graphics in Webster City, Iowa, where she assisted writing production software. When Jeff was transferred to Ankeny, Iowa, she joined Employer’s Mutual Company (EMC) in Des Moines, Iowa. Karen worked her way up through the ranks, focused on Homeowner’s Insurance – a system for which she wrote the majority of the code used by EMC in several states across the country. She was well respected by her staff and colleagues. After 26 years, she retired in 2018 as an Officer of the company, leading a department of 60 programmers and support staff. Jeff retired in 2016 and together they moved out west near Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2021.
Karen loved gardening, and her green thumb was apparent in all the beautiful flowers and plants she cared for. She was also an avid reader and Stephen King enthusiast. As a lifelong cat lover, she took great joy in being with her pets and collecting cat figurines. She introduced her granddaughters to music, creative projects, and her love of art.
She is survived by her husband, Jeff; her sister, Kathy (Dale) Heinrichs of Marshalltown, IA; her brother, John Christensen (Michelle Kuker) of Lincoln, NE; her daughter, Shaena (Travis) McGivern of Oro Valley, AZ; and her three granddaughters, Elena, Marion, and Vala McGivern; and her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and beloved son, Joshua David Stille.
The family will hold a private celebration of life on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona, at a later date where her ashes will join Josh’s.