Karen D. Reetz

Karen D. Lackey Reetz passed away at 3:35 pm on April 4, 2020 at the Corvallis Good Samaritan Medical Center. She was 68 years young. Karen was born on January 10, 1952 in Griffin, Georgia to Harold and Mattie (King) Lackey. Her childhood and young adulthood were spent living in Georgia. She attended and graduated from Pike County High School. Following graduation, she went to work for the Georgia State Patrol, and then for the Spalding County Sheriffs Office. She worked as an Administrative Assistant, and she greatly enjoyed her work. In 1978, her brother Tommy was living in Alaska with his wife. Karen had visited Alaska a few times and she loved it, and she decided to make the move. She lived with her sister-in-law’s family in Anchorage, until she was able to buy her own home. She started her career with Wein Airlines, and then transferred to Kenai Police Department. It was while she was working at the Police Department that she met her husband, Dave Reetz. They wed on October 4, 1989. Karen worked for Soldotna Police Department for a short period of time, before she transferred to Alaska State Fish and Wildlife Troopers. Dave retired from the Kenai Police Department in 1996, and they took an exciting 5-month trip around the United States in their motorhome! They returned to Alaska, where Karen worked for the Alaska State Troopers, and then the Kenai Peninsula Bureau. In 2002, Karen and Dave moved to the NE corner of Georgia. It was there that she worked for a law firm, before they settled in Oregon in 2006.Karen had many hobbies. She was a true outdoorswoman and enjoyed fishing and being in nature. She loved to travel, visit the Oregon Coast Casino, and go to Dave’s yearly class reunion in Florence. Karen and Dave looked forward to their yearly weeklong Vegas trip. Karen was a kind, loving and caring woman who was adored by many. She will be greatly missed. Karen was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her loving husband, Dave Reetz; her siblings, Tommy Lackey and Joanna Silver; her 4 stepchildren; 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.