Karen Brennan, 70, died Sunday, January 22, 2006 at the Village in Indianola after a long struggle with cancer. Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m., Thursday, January 26 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Indianola, where she was a member. Burial will follow in the I.O.O.F. Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Indianola.

Karen was born in Marysville, Kansas, and graduated from Wamego High School in Wamego, Kansas. She attended Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Missouri and received her B.A. in education from the University of Kansas. After graduation, she taught in southern California and spent her summers working at Disneyland, before marrying a fellow Kansan, Dr. Joe Brennan. They moved to Indianola in 1960. Karen dedicated herself to her three sons and taught at Emerson Elementary until retiring in 1994. Following her retirement, she and Joe split their time between Sun City, Arizona and Indianola. Karen and Joe also enjoyed traveling throughout the world. They participated in several trips with the Friendship Force.

Karen was a member of PEO Chapter JV in Indianola, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Red Hat Society, Indianola Country Club, Questers, Line Dancers and the Meadows Club in Arizona.

She is survived by her husband, Joe; sons, Scott (Liz) Brennan, Brian (Anne) Brennan and Kurt (Kim) Brennan; and grandchildren, Ben, Lexi, Peter, Noah, Joseph, Avery, Ellen and Adam.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 25 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola where the family will greet friends. A Rosary will be recited at 4:00 p.m., followed immediately by a scripture service at the funeral home on Wednesday. There will also be a PEO service at 7:45 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Indianola Public Library, Kiya Koda Humane Society or St. Thomas Aquinas Church.