Karen Louise Long, 84, of Spring Valley, Minnesota, passed away on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Spring Valley Living.
Karen was born on October 4, 1941, to Wayne and Charlotte (Beecher) Stephens in Forest City, Iowa. She attended and graduated from Chatfield High School. She worked at the Chatfield Bakery for many years before she became a para for the Kingsland school district for many years and enjoyed working with the kids and retired in August 2010.
Karen was united in marriage to Thurston Long on April 29, 1961, in Chatfield, Minnesota. To this union six children were born: Thurston Long 3rd, Keith, Jamie, Stephen, Vicki and Jody.
Karen had many different hobbies she enjoyed over the years. She enjoyed square dancing with the White Water Whirlers, a group she thoroughly enjoyed. She loved sitting around a camp fire and spending time with her family camping. She loved going to the kids’ and grandkids’ sporting events. She enjoyed quilting and would spend a lot of time doing so. In her free time she enjoyed doing puzzles and reading a good book.
Karen is survived by her children Keith (Sandra) Long of Trenton, Illinois, Jamie (Melissa Vreeman) Long of Wykoff, Minnesota, Stephen (Tammie) Long of Preston, Minnesota, Vicki (Bruce) Schroeder of Racine, Minnesota, and Jody (Barbara) Long of Faribault, Minnesota; her siblings Dennis (Ruth) Stephens of Circle Pines, Minnesota, Martin (Linda) Stephens of Rochester, Michigan, and Stuart Stephens of Minneapolis, Minnesota; 22 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Thurston Long Jr. in 1996, her son Thurston Long 3rd in 1963, her twin sister and brother-in-law Laurie (Robert) Braun, and her great-grandson Seth Long.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Fillmore Free Methodist Church, in Fillmore, Minnesota, with Pastor Larry Day officiating. Visitation will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday at the Hindt Funeral Home in Spring Valley and will continue for an hour prior to the service on Monday. Burial will follow in the Fillmore Cemetery.
Hindt Funeral Home in Spring Valley is assisting the family.
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