Karen Ruth Penszky

Karen Ruth (Lundeen) Penszky, born on November 17, 1944 in Des Moines, Iowa, went to be with our Lord June 25, 2020. Karen was the fourth of Donald and Cadijah Lundeen’s seven children and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. After graduating from Des Moines Technical High School in 1963, Karen moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado with her best friend from high school, Linda Arnold. It was there she met and married Laszlo (Tony) Penszky, a U.S. Army photographer. She then moved back to Iowa with her husband and had two daughters, Lori and Lisa. Another move to Independence, Missouri followed, and then Karen and her family eventually settled in Plano, Texas in 1976 for the remainder of her life. It was in Plano that Karen helped create and co-owned Gallery Photography and Lab in East Plano with her husband. For approximately 25 years, she was the business manager of Gallery Photography and Lab. During her long residency in Plano, Texas, she was devoted to caring for her family and raising her daughters.

She made many friends in the Plano area over the years and she enjoyed socializing and attending musical concerts with them. Karen was a big fan of Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond. She never missed a Neil Diamond concert in Dallas with her dear friend, Betty Broussard, and they loved to see all the local Elvis impersonators. One of Karen’s other favorite things to do was spend time with her family and five grandchildren. She had a knack for making holidays festive and special for her family. Swimming, gardening and traveling were some of her favorite hobbies. Karen was a great cook and her family enjoyed her many delicious meals. Karen was a caring friend, loving mother and grandmother. She will be missed by many.

Karen is survived by her daughters and son-in-laws, Lori and Steve Leonhart, Lisa and James Douthit, and five grandchildren, Courtney Leonhart, Ryan Leonhart, Jenna Douthit, Libby Douthit, and Evan Douthit. She is also survived by her brothers, Donald Lundeen, Jr. and Robert Lundeen, sister, Kim Scavo and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her ex-husband, Tony Penszky, parents, Donald Lundeen Sr. and Cadijah Lundeen, and siblings, Jo Anna (Lundeen) Nisser, George Lundeen and Deborah (Lundeen) Babowitch.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 am on Monday July 6, 2020 at the Allen Family Funeral Options Chapel.  Inurnment will follow at the Plano Mutual Cemetery.  For those who can not attend, the service will be available via webcast either live or recorded afterwards.  The link will be added here to watch later this week.

Live Webcast: http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/32512

Family Requests: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Karen’s memory to Minnie's Food Pantry in Plano. www.minniesfoodpantry.org

Out of town relatives and friends: Please do not travel to Texas for this funeral. We invite you to join us via watching the live stream at the time of the funeral or to watch the recording of the service that will be on the website for 90 days afterward. Please stay home and stay safe!

Local relatives and friends: Please attend the service only if you feel comfortable doing so. We will have lots of room to spread out and social distance in the chapel. Please wear a mask if you feel more comfortable doing so. Also, please use hand sanitizer at the entry desk.

Everyone: Please share any stories or memories of Karen and include any pictures you would like on the online guest book sign in. We may use some of these remembrances/photos for the service. Thank you!