Karen Kolb Sehlke

Karen Kolb Sehlke, of Tomball Texas, passed away unexpectedly on April 2, 2020 at the young age of 45 years old. She is survived by her husband, Michael, and their two sons, Austin and Blake, as well as her grandmother, Peggy Gibson, her mother, Gail Kolb, her father, Dean Kolb, and her brother, Kurt Kolb, his wife, Beth, and son, Wyatt.

Born at Heights Hospital on February 4, 1975, Karen spent her life in the Houston area and graduated from Aldine High School in 1993. She was a lifelong member of Free Will Baptist Church and, in 1999, she would marry the love of her life, Michael Sehlke, there. They celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary in March.

Soon after marriage came two boys, Austin (19) and Blake (14), and they became the center of their universe. Karen was a devoted mother spending countless hours supporting the boys in baseball, fishing, and anything else that the boys enjoyed. As a self-proclaimed “boy mom”, there was nothing more important to her than supporting them and their busy schedules. Countless road trips and countless hours spent with the people associated with Tomball Little League, Spring Crush, Texas Bandits, Premier, Wolverines, and Tomball Memorial Baseball/Fishing clubs. Many acquaintances began within these groups and blossomed into friendships.

Outside of her husband, kids, and pets, Karen valued her time spent with family and friends. Friends came easy for Karen as she never met a stranger, would talk to anyone, and, more importantly, listen to anyone. So, even casual acquaintances would become destined to remember her. For her closest friends, she possessed the innate ability to know when something was wrong and was there to help make things better. She always remembered the dates that were important to others and reached out with messages of love and support. Once she knew you, Karen would always stand by you. In short, she was always there for her friends and family.

Sharing her passions with others was when she was the happiest. Whether it was listening to music, dancing, laying out by the pool, girl time, road trips, or just watching movies, life was always better when surrounded by her loved ones. Music and dancing had a special place for her and Michael. When one of those special songs came on, it didn’t matter if it was at a dancehall or in the middle of the living room, they were going to dance.

Karen was a doer, a giver, a listener, the boss, a shoulder to cry on, the center of fun, and a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt, wife, and mother. She lived life to the fullest and always stayed positive. Her infectious smile and heart of gold will live on forever. Her zest for life was equaled only by her reverence for it.

Evidence of this is captured by her own words as a part of her Facebook profile. She certainly lived by her favorite phrases:

“Try not to sweat the small stuff”

“Live like you are dying”

“Be grateful”

“Pay it Forward”

“Always stay humble and kind”

and, most famously, "PUT YOUR BIG GIRL PANTS ON AND DEAL WITH IT".

A celebration of Karen’s Life event is TBD.

Please share your special moments, memories, sayings, and thoughts of Karen on this Dignity page site below, for all to follow.