Karen Irene Fisher

Feb. 21, 1944 - Feb. 5, 2025

Karen Irene (Johnson) Fisher, 80, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her family in the early morning hours of Feb. 5, 2025.

Karen was born Feb. 21, 1944, in Worland, Wyo. She was the youngest daughter of Algot and Leah Michel Johnson. Upon graduating from Worland High School in 1962, Karen attended business college in Billings, Mont., and took a job as a bank teller in Worland. She met Leonard Earl Fisher at a dance in Dubois. Shortly afterwards they married on Nov. 8, 1964. 

Following a six-year adventure in northern California, they settled with their children to be closer to Karen’s family in Worland. Karen and Leonard took on the challenge of owning their own waterbed and furniture store in Greybull. They moved to Basin where their kids finished up their formal education. After they closed the furniture store, Karen took on a job at Wheelers IGA as a cashier for many years. Karen was a master floral and vegetable gardener, voracious reader, puzzle solver and avid cross stitcher. She loved taking daily sunset walks throughout Basin.

She took pride in earning “Yard of the Week.” In her later years, Karen and Leonard moved to Rapid City, S.D., for a short time before ultimately landing in southern California to be closer to her girls. Karen and Leonard loved taking road trips and exploring quaint little towns throughout California. They ended their traveling adventures with a special road trip taken through the southern states of the U.S. before the pandemic. During her retirement years, Karen enjoyed Grandma Mondays with her grandkids baking or watching Harry Potter and attending their various school plays, sports games, musicals and choir shows. She loved the challenge of gardening in a desert region and the plethora of hummingbird nests, bunnies and butterflies that occupy her backyard.

Karen kept her keen sense of humor until the very end, but ultimately lost her battle against COPD and lung cancer.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents Algot and Leah, her beloved sister Sharon Crichton, her husband Leonard and brothers-in-law Earle Crichton and Donald Roe. 

She is survived by her son Stan, of Rapid City, S.D.; twin daughters Dagmar (JR) Rea and Kory McPherson of Murrieta, Calif.; grandchildren Samantha Schwab, Rachel Stice, Wyatt Fisher, Alexander Rea, Abby Rea and Carolyn McPherson, great grandchildren, a niece, nephews, great nephews and nieces, cousins, and her sister-in-law Delores Roe of Oregon. 

A celebration of life will be held in June to honor and celebrate Karen and Leonard on their newest adventure together, wherever that may be. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your favorite charity in memory of Mom.

(Editor’s note: This obituary did not run its entirety last week due to a production error. We apologize.)