Karen D. (Beaupied) Sundblad

Karen was born on July 23rd, 1938, in Michigamme, to the late George and Irene (Hanson) Beaupied. She grew up in Champion, MI and graduated from Champion High School in 1955. She married Creighton Sundblad, on November 10th, 1956, at Sacred Heart Church and started their life together in Ishpeming. They had three children: Heidi, Craig, and Laura, and settled down in their family home on Bank Street.

She later became a working mother employed at Peninsula Bank, then Sundblad Insurance Agency, which became Tupala – Sundblad Insurance, which became Custom Insurance Agency, then Iron Range Agency, where she stayed until her retirement in 2005.

Karen was a strong woman with a big heart. She devoted much of her life caring for others, including her husband, who preceded her in death in 1979, her mother-in-law and her own mother.

She is survived by her children, Heidi (John) Heikkila, Craig (Susie) Sundblad, and Laura (Mark) Wiegert; seven grandchildren: Stephanie (Jake) Klingelhutz, Natalie Heikkila, Hillary Sundblad, Brandon (Caitlin) Sundblad, Beth Sundblad, Taylor Sundblad, and Caleb Wiegert; great-grandchildren, Ben Klingelhutz, Keith Rogan, and Sophia Rogan; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Karalyn and Bob Johnson.

A devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ishpeming. Family was everything to Karen. She loved her children and grandchildren deeply and relished visits and time together. She was a great mother, especially after finding herself a widow at the young age of 40. She raised her three children with a strict but caring hand, empowering them to be independent and successful in life.

For many years she served as secretary of the Champion/ Beacon/Humboldt Historical Society. When she was younger, she also loved playing bingo and going to the casino with her best friend, Dona. She was passionate about reading, even after being diagnosed with macular degeneration later in life and was still able to read with assistive devices up until a few months ago. She also loved good food, a trait she passed on to all of her children.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Creighton; her parents, George, and Irene; her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Arnold and Ida Sundblad, and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Keith, and Mabelle Rogers.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ishpeming with Fr. Ryan Ford as celebrant. Karen’s family will greet relatives and friends on Wednesday at St. Joseph Church from 10:00 a.m., until the time of service at 11:00 a.m.

The Mass will be livestreamed, which can be found at ishpeming catholic.com/live.

A Luncheon will follow in the church fellowship hall.

Donations can be made in Karen’s memory to the Friends of Ishpeming Public Library and Champion/ Beacon/Humboldt Historical Society.

Karen’s obituary may be viewed at bjorkandzhulkie.com, where relatives and friends may leave a note of remembrance.