Karen Louise Kibler

Karen Kibler has died on 27 May, 2018, in Bartlesville, OK after a short illness. She was born to Harold and Jean Bunning in Buffalo, Wyoming on February 18, 1942, and spent her early years on the homestead of her grandparents, Ernest and Bessie Eder, 7 miles south of Buffalo. Karen initially attended Buffalo Grade School until 1949 when, snowed out, her parents moved to Kaycee to enter the trucking business. Like most Kaycee girls of that time, she had various part time jobs but had particularly fond memories of working summers for the Schiffers at the Hat Ranch. Karen graduated as Valedictorian from Kaycee High School in 1960 and then attended Sheridan College before moving to Casper, working at Natrona County Memorial Hospital. There she met Adam Luther (A.L.) Kibler and they married in January 1964. In time, Karen joined the Veterans Health Care Administration and, over her career, worked at various VA hospitals in Ft. Lyon, Colorado, Reno, Nevada and Oakland, California. She was honored to be sponsored by the VA to complete her RN degree at the NW Texas Hospital School of Nursing in Amarillo, graduating in 1979. Upon returning to the VA, she specialized in psychiatric nursing and cared for patients who had suffered trauma in three major US conflicts: WWII, the Korean War and the Viet Nam War. When she and A.L. retired, they moved first to Apache Junction, Arizona and then, Roy, Utah. After the death of A.L. in 2013, Karen moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to be near her sister, Judy Smith. Karen is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. They include Kenny Kibler and granddaughter Felicia of Bartlesville, Kelly Butte and her husband Ed of Byhalia, Mississippi, Krista Baggiano, husband Brad and grandchildren, Nikki and Andrew, of Layton, Utah and Kami Mason, husband Eric, grandchildren Timothy, David, Samantha and Jamie and five great grandchildren, all of Redding, California. Karen was preceded in death by her oldest son, Kerry, in 2007, who gave Karen two granddaughters, Brea Wagner and Tiffany Kibler of Arvada, Colorado. She is also survived by her brother, Dick Bunning of Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK and her sister Judy as well as numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.

Karen Louise Kibler

February 18, 1942 - May 27, 2018