Karen Bommersbach 78 of Payette, passed away on Aug. 10, surrounded by her family – after a long illness with Parkinson’s Disease. Karen was born Oct. 19, 1942 in Lisbon, ND to Leo and Emma (Fadness) Waloch. Her father was serving in the US Army at that time. She was raised on a farm outside of Stirum, ND.
After graduation, she moved to Lisbon and worked at Farmers State Bank. Karen and her two best friends would watch the guys “drag main” on the weekends and picked a liking to the ’63 ½ Fast Back Ford Galaxy driven by her future husband, Bill. Winning a bet, she was the lucky one to get a ride in the car. That ride led to the first date for Bill and Karen, which eventually led to wedding bells a few months later.
Bill and Karen moved to Shakopee, MN shortly after their wedding. They moved to Lisbon, ND in 1966 and in 1969 they purchased a newspaper in Herreid, SD, where they lived for 10 years. They had Tara in 1972 and Travis in 1973.
In 1979, they sold the newspaper, packed up the car and went on “vacation,” which ended up in Walla Walla, WA for two years. They bought Payette Printing in 1981 and have been in Payette ever since.
Karen was active in Payette Civic League, Payette Chamber, Beta Sigma Phi, and a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church. She was active in all of Tara and Travis’ (as well as her grandkids) school and extracurricular activities. She helped Bill in the office at the shop, but her favorite “job’ was being a grandma. “Nanny” to her six grandkids, all of their friends and her great-granddaughter was the thing she cherished most.
Karen is preceded in death by her parents: Leo and Emma Waloch, a brother, Dennis Waloch, sisters Carol Waloch and Lois Layman.
She is survived by her husband of almost 57 years, Bill, her daughter Tara, her son Travis and grandsons Jeffrey and Jared Waters and Nathanael and Joshua Bommersbach and granddaughters Spencer and Reagen Bommersbach and great-granddaughter, Jada Rose Johnson, her brother and sister Darrel and Peggy Waloch, sisters-in-law Ann Claudio, Bev Walstead, Mary Bommersbach-Holden,
Marjory Meester and Carol Bommersbach and numerous nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be held Friday, Aug. 13 at Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel in Payette from 6 - 8 pm. Funeral service is Saturday, Aug. 14 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 842 Alameda Dr., Ontario, OR. A reception will be held immediately after the service.
In lieu of gifts, donations to St. Jude’s Children Hospital are requested.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, Payette.
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