June 12, 1942 - January 26, 2025

Karen Ellen Bankson, 82, of Grand Island, formerly of Hordville, died on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at CHI – St. Francis in Grand Island. The family has chosen to have services at a later date. Solt-Wagner Funeral Home in Central City will be assisting the family.

Karen was born on June 12, 1942 in Detroit, MI to George and Clara (Mielke) Mattson. She grew up in the Detroit area and graduated from Cooley High School in Detroit in 1960. She then enlisted in the United States Air Force, where she married Bob Stobbe of Grand Island. She was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1962, when she began to raise her family. Karen then lived in Kansas, Minnesota, and eventually settled down in Longmont, CO with Bob where she raised her family. After separating with Bob, she built campers at Red Dale. She married Don Mitchell, from McCook. She drove a school bus and was a lunch lady at one of the local schools and then began driving a school bus transporting students with special needs, which she said was the best job she ever had. After Don retired, they moved to York. Following his death she began working at Region 5 in York. She met Dean Bankson, and following their union, she moved to his farm near Hordville, where they remained until moving to Central City.

Karen enjoyed meeting new people and making friends, and had hobbies including reading and crochet. Karen enjoyed traveling with Dean, especially getting to go to many of his tractor shows. She collected lighthouses, cardinals and angels, but her greatest love was getting to care for her family. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, and was a longtime volunteer at Merrick Medical Thrift Store in Central City.

Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Dean of Grand Island; her children, Mike (Di) Stobbe of Boise, ID, Jeff (Dana) Stobbe of Pahrump, NV, Michele (Tom) Schenck of Temecula, CA, Pat (Beth) Stobbe of Peyton, CO, and Tony (Dawn) Stobbe of Edmond, OK; her sister, Rosemary (Ronnie Coffman) Piper of Northville, MI; her 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; and many loved ones from the Bankson and Mitchell families.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Don Mitchell, stepson, Steve Bankson, beloved grandson, Isaac Allan Stobbe; nephew, Dennis W. Piper and brother-in-law, Dennis L. Piper.