Bentsen, Karen
September 27, 1905 ~ January 2, 2009 –
It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Karen, who passed on after a short illness that was preceded by a long and enjoyable life.
Karen is survived by her son Erik (Lynn), grandchildren Vikki (Mike) with great grand children Katelyn and Michael, and Lars (Sherri) with great grandchildren Christopher, Morgan and Emily. She was predeceased by her husband Paul in 1985 and was the last survivor of 9 siblings.
Karen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and lived there until the end of World War 2 when she married Paul who was serving with the Canadian Engineers Overseas. She traveled to Canada in 1946 with her infant son and met up with Paul who had traveled ahead to secure a job and accommodations. They moved into a house in Paldi in 1947 that burned down a year later. In 1948 they moved to the 100 Houses in Lake Cowichan where they enjoyed life in the community for 25 years. Dad worked at WFI at nearby Honeymoon Bay until he retired in 1972 after which they moved to Saltair, where they enjoyed traveling and visiting with family and friends. After dad died, Karen continued travelling, making her last trip to Hawaii at age 92. She continued to live in her house, with help from Lynn and homecare, until she moved into a care facility at age 99.
Karen was a person who loved the company of friends and family, had a wonderful sense of humour and saved anything and everything. She was extremely independent, had an opinion on most topics and was not shy about expressing herself. We will miss her.
A big thank you to the staff at Malaspina Gardens for the care and compassion they gave mom over the past 4 years. You were truly wonderful.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
First Memorial Funeral Services - Nanaimo