Karen Anne Holst

Karen Anne Holst was born on August 6, 1946, in Mesa, Arizona to Klyle and Mary Lou Stall. She spoke fondly of her childhood spent in Chandler with her older brother Klyle and, eight years later, her younger brother Kevin. At the age of 14, the family traded their desert life for palm trees and sandy beaches, as her father became the Postal Inspector in charge of the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Trust Territories. Karen loved her life on Oahu and thrived at Kailua High School. It was there that she found her singing voice and sang in several choral groups and performed in local opera productions. She graduated in 1964 and enrolled at the University of Hawaii.

While in college, Karen met a Marine stationed at the nearby base. She married Bill Cook and they were eventually transferred to Southern California. It was there that their son Mark was born in 1967. After Bill left the service, they moved to his hometown of Wichita, where daughters Kimberly and Angela were born in 1970 and 1971. After their divorce, Karen and her young children moved to Bellevue, Washington.

Over the next few years, Karen held various administrative positions in public agencies. While raising Mark, Kim, and Angi on her own and working full time, she finished her bachelor’s degree through City University in 1981. That led to a civilian job with the Air Force (which later turned over to the Dept of Defense) as a contractor at Boeing. Karen worked on many defense programs, including AWACS, as an analyst and contracts specialist and enjoyed traveling for conferences and meetings.

In 1980, Karen met Gary Whitmore while singing at a piano bar. They both loved singing and Gary soon was attending Karen’s performances with the Boeing Employees’ Jet City Band. They were married in July 1983 and the following year, they moved to Kirkland, where they raised three teenagers and hosted many large Cook-Stall-Whitmore family gatherings. Karen LOVED being Tutu to the grandkids, which later turned into being Mimi. She took an early retirement in 1997 to assist Gary with his business as he dealt with his health challenges. He passed away shortly before their 18th wedding anniversary in 2001.

Karen was blessed to find love again in a familiar face. Ed Holst was one of Gary’s longtime business partners and, over the years, Ed and his wife Joan spent time together with Gary and Karen at dinners and work events. Ed and Karen’s friendship and support for each other after the passing of their spouses a few months apart eventually turned into a romantic relationship. They were married on October 11, 2003, and she joined him in Manson.

Ed and Karen made the most of their time together doing two things they loved – travel and golf. They especially loved cruising and went on over 40 cruises in 19 years! In addition, they travelled to all 50 states and spent extended time in Hawaii and Arizona. When not traveling, they were on the golf course. Years before, Karen had set out to golf all the courses in Washington state. She may not have reached that goal, but she did play over 100 golf courses! She was very active with the Lake Chelan Women’s Golf Club, helping with tournaments and fundraisers, and most recently, served as President.

Karen received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer on July 1 and passed away on August 16, 2022, at the age of 76. She is survived by her husband Ed Holst, her children Mark Cook, Kim (Scott) Jewett, and Angela (Todd) VanDeBerghe, her grandchildren Shelbe, Allison, Shae, Rebecca, Jeff, Molly, Abby, and Avery, and her brothers Klyle (Ann) Stall and Kevin (Denise) Stall. In addition, she was blessed to have many “bonus children,” as she lovingly called them: Rick Whitmore, Lynette Whitmore, Sheila (Dave) Lima, Brian (Belinda) Gibson, Brian (Tami) Holst, Lisa (Derek) Dietz, and Julie (Travis) Smith; as well as 18 bonus grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Karen loved the Lord, and she is now singing praise and worship in Heaven!

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 3 at 11:00 at: Maplewood Presbyterian Church, 19523 84th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026.

The service will be live streamed through YouTube, and the link can be found by searching Maplewood Presbyterian Church-Edmonds, WA beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Tribute gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made in Karen's honor to Maplewood Presbyterian Church or to the scholarship fund for Chelan/Manson area students given out by the Lake Chelan Women's Golf Club. Checks may be made payable to the Lake Chelan Women's Golf Club and designated as "Scholarship Fund" and can be mailed to: Lake Chelan Women's Golf Club, c/o Linda Reister, PO Box 2423, Chelan, WA 98816.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Evergreen-Washelli.com for the Holst family.