KAREN LEE  DONALDSON , 77, Cleghorn, Iowa, passed away Sunday afternoon, July 8, 2018 in Accura Healthcare in Cherokee, Iowa.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 13 ^th , at 10:30 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa . Pastor Larry Ostercamp will officiate.  Burial will be in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery at Cherokee, Iowa. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Visitation will be on Thursday from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Karen was born on October 12, 1940 at Cherokee, Iowa to Forrest & Leona (Morton) Smith. She grew up in the Larrabee area, graduating from Larrabee High School in 1959. She then attended Beauty School to become a beautician. She was married to Lester Donaldson on June 4, 1961 at Larrabee, Iowa. To this union three children were born; Shelley, Bryan, and Cindy. Karen had worked as a beautician for several years and was a Hot Lunch Cook in the Cleghorn Schools for 25 years, retiring in May of 2001.

Karen loved to cook and bake for her family, especially cookies at Christmas time; she also enjoyed bowling, traveling with her sister Janet, and spending time with her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents Forrest and Leona Smith, a daughter Brenda, her husband Lester Donaldson, her father-in-law and mother-in-law Harold and Rita (Rupp) Donaldson.

She is survived by her three children: Shelley (Dave) Nethers of Ames, Iowa; Bryan (Kathy) Donaldson of West Des Moines, Iowa; Cindy (Jim) Cook of Cedar Falls, Iowa; four grandchildren: Jacob and Ashley Nethers, David and Matthew Cook; her sister Janet Schimmer of Storm Lake, Iowa.