Karen Gopen
March 31, 1946-Dec. 2, 2023
Capitola, California

Karen Gopen, 77, of Capitola and a longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away December 2, 2023 with family by her side.

She was born to the late Jean Dunaway and William Rasmussen in 1946 in Watsonville, California. She graduated from Awalt High School in Mountain View and studied at Foothill College. She worked at Fairchild Semiconductor, where she met her future husband, Howard, and at Track & Field news, before devoting her time to raising her children.

She and Howard got married in 1980 and lived in Palo Alto for 40 years before relocating to Capitola. A mother of three - Philip, Anna and Daniel - Karen was immensely proud of her children. She spent many years volunteering at schools, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, earning a leadership award from the latter. She enjoyed puzzles, games, camping, reading and the redwoods. Karen was a great cook and a wonderful hostess. She took great pride in her Halloween decorations and haunted houses.

She is survived by her husband Howard Gopen, children Anna Gopen (Adam Seger) and Daniel Gopen, grandson Max, and siblings Wendy (Mike) Sides and Ken (Kim) Rasmussen. Karen was predeceased by her son Philip Rau.