Kaaren Leanne (Olsen) Rizor was born in Glendale, California in 1943 to Thorvald (Tom) and Elizabeth (Kirkbride) Olsen. The oldest of three children, Kaaren grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles among a large and close-knit extended family. She was raised Methodist.
A born caregiver, she followed in her maternal grandmother's footsteps, attending community college to become a Registered Nurse. By her mid-twenties, Kaaren was Head Nurse on her floor at Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, California. In 1965 she married the love of her life, Ray Rizor. In 1967 they welcomed their first-born son, Mike, and a daughter, Lisa, in 1970. Following the Southern California earthquake of 1971, she stayed home to raise their children for the next eight years.
As Ray's firefighting career with the US Forest Service progressed, Kaaren became acclimated to living at rural Ranger Stations. She loved her California family and hosted the best family reunions, prior to moving to Ashland, Montana in 1978. In Big Sky Country, she and Ray spent the next four decades. They raised their family, built a log house on their beloved homeplace at the corner of Otter Creek and Cow Creek roads, traveled, and made many good memories with family and friends. They cared for a foster daughter, Marlene, and raised a beautiful herd of registered Appaloosa horses.
Over her long career in healthcare, Kaaren spent two decades as Secretary and School Nurse at Ashland Public School, then, in the early 1990's she, with the help of others, established the Ashland Community Health Center and she served as CEO of the clinic for another almost twenty years. Next to her family, healthcare was Kaaren's passion and she was recognized in 1996 as a Montana Solute to Women honoree for her hard work in establishing a rural health clinic.
Following Ray's passing in 2013, Kaaren continued to run the clinic for a couple more years before retiring in her early 70's. She then moved to Ottumwa, Iowa where she has lived near her daughter and family year-around since 2016. She remained fiercely independent throughout her life. In retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her family, cooking, gardening, painting and drawing, writing, reading, watching movies, knitting and crocheting.
Kaaren spent her life in the service of others. In later years, she enjoyed the company of her beloved dog, Harley, and her cats, Emmylou and Ivy. She was a kind-hearted person who always put the well-being of others before her own, selflessly giving of her time and talents, all of her days. Kaaren lived her faith and stood for what she believed. She was a force. She will be dearly missed.
Kaaren passed away May 15th, 2024 at hospice in Des Moines, IA. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Ray. She is survived by her son Mike Rizor (Anne) of Aberdeen, SD, her daughter Lisa Aslesen (Russ) of Numa, IA, five cherished granddaughters, Maddy Swenson (Ben), Libby Kobylinski (Mike), Ellie and Maggie Rizor and Hannah (Aslesen) Pelfrey (Max). A joy to Kaaren was becoming a great grandmother in September 2023 to Rudy Benjamin Swenson, and the anticipation of a second great grandson, the son of Max and Hannah Pelfrey, due in August 2024. She is also survived by her brother Steve Olsen (Elisa) of Newhall, CA, her sister Kathelen Olsen of Ottumwa, IA, and many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.
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