Karen E. DeSousa

Karen Evans DeSousa died July 6, 2021 in Des Moines after a long illness. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, July 9, 2021 at McLaren’s Chapel in West Des Moines with burial at Resthaven Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until service time at McLaren’s.

She was born Karen Diane Evans as the first child of Bill and Jackie Evans of Des Moines. She would become big sister to twins Laurie and Lynn and brother Brian. She was educated in Des Moines public schools and graduated from Hoover High School where she was a good student and especially active in theater and drama. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa where she met her future husband, Michael, where both were active in student government.

They were married in December 1975 and moved to married student housing at the University of Iowa where Mike attended grad school. Karen worked as administrative assistant to the chief of the Coralville police department.

After Mike finished grad school he accepted a teaching position at the University of California, Davis, near Sacramento, California. Karen spent several years working for the Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, UC Davis. As a UC employee she took computer and programming classes, which would serve her next career well. A son, Matthew, later blessed the household.

After UC Davis, Karen worked for over 10 years for a number of northern California and Colorado software/technology companies in technical support and marketing communications. She then joined a small network software company in Folsom, California called Objective Systems Integrators (OSI) as manager of corporate communications.

Fast forward several years later; the rapidly growing company went public with a highly successful IPO (initial public offering) stock. Shortly after, OSI was acquired by Hewlett Packard. Karen then “retired” young and became an active parent in Matt’s Cub Scout and Boy Scout career, supporting fundraisers and events. They moved to El Dorado Hills, California. Retirement allowed her to apply her artistic skills and business drive.

Karen discovered the craft world of beading design and later, kumihimo, a traditional Japanese braiding art. She took classes, advanced rapidly and “unretired” to start a successful web-based business, Accent Bead Design, creating beaded designs and craft design books and selling materials in the U.S. and internationally.

As an emerging American expert applying kumihimo to jewelry arts, Karen attended international conferences in the U.S., Kyoto, Japan and Manchester, England. She published 11 bead craft and kumihimo braiding books that were sold around the world. She also taught classes throughout the U.S.

During these years, Karen and the family continued to enjoy travel around the world. Karen travelled to over 50 countries in Europe, South Africa and Asia, some of them less common locales like Iceland, Argentina, Russia, Estonia, Hong Kong, Greenland, Taiwan, Singapore and Turkey.

Closer to home in California, she successfully beat cancer in 2016. She especially enjoyed trips to Napa and Sonoma Valley and the Mendocino County Coast.

Mike joined Karen in retirement in 2019, and they returned to Iowa – settling in Urbandale and were enjoying rediscovering Iowa until Covid hit in early 2020. “Self-quarantining” allowed time to rediscover an old craft love – knitting – and became a knitting marvel, tackling many complicated pieces gifted to family members.

Early 2020 also marked the return of cancer and extended treatments in Des Moines and Omaha. Through almost 18 months of medical treatment Karen maintained a positive outlook and fought hard for her good life with family.

She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Mike; son Matthew; sisters Lynn (Kirk) and Laurie; brother, Brian (Kathy); mother, Jacqueline; niece, Rebecca Kedley (Thom); and nephew, Drew.

Karen was a rare jewel: Bright, colorful, multi-faceted—and ultimately a priceless gift.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Urbandale Food Pantry, 7611 Douglas Avenue #34-35, Urbandale, IA 50322 or urbandalefoodpantry.org.