Karen Kay Franco

Karen Kay (Mahnke) Franco of Huntington Beach, California passed away unexpectedly on July 8, 2020.
Private family services were held on July 17, 2020 at Brown Colonial Mortuary in Santa Ana, California. A Celebration Of Life is being planned for a later date.
Karen was born in Cushing Iowa on August 31, 1946. She was raised on a farm in rural Correctionville, Iowa where she lived with her Father (Robert), Mother (Emma), and Brother (Darrell).
While in Correctionville, she had the same class of wonderful friends from kindergarten through senior year, many of them still her friends today. There was always a “girls of 64” lunch and an evening at Club Casmo during each of her visits. She loved her friends so much and cherished her times in Iowa.
She faithfully visited Iowa, her friends, and extended family every couple of years throughout her life.  Karen left Correctionville, Iowa when she was 18 years old and headed to sunny California. There she met Henry Franco, had her daughter Lisa, and became a step-mother to Henry, lil Karen, and John.
She was then blessed with beautiful grandchildren and great-grandchildren who she loved and cherished so much.
Karen achieved her Bachelor’s degree later in life which made her family very proud of her. She was very successful and continued to achieve great things at Fluor Daniel and IBM where she met and cherished her many wonderful friendships.
After she retired she continued to spend time with her family and friends. She so looked forward to her trips with family to New York, beaches in Newport Beach and Hawaii, and she finally was able to take that trip to Europe that she had always dreamed of.
Karen was a lover of the arts, NEW music, fashion, and especially entertainment. She was like a kid in her twenties when it came to those things. She was outgoing and lived life to the fullest. She was a symbol of power, beauty, and grace and was fiercely loyal to her friends and family.
She was a warrior and fought each battle with strength and insurmountable courage and never thought twice about backing down. Karen was steadfast in her faith which carried her through some of the difficult moments of her life.
We will always remember her infectious smile, laughter, piercing blue eyes, and caring personality. Karen’s presence in our lives will be sorely missed.
When you think of Karen, do not be sad.  Think of the good memories you have of her. Remember, life is fragile and it should be lived to its fullest

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