Karen J. Loecke

Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for Karen Loecke, 83, of Davenport, will be held at 10:30 am on Monday, December 23, 2024, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport. Burial will follow the mass in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport. There will be an additional visitation at the cathedral on Monday from 10 am until the time of services. Visitation will be 2-4 pm on Sunday at Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport, and conclude with a Rosary at 4pm. Memorials may be made to Sacred Heart Cathedral or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Karen passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Friday, December 13, 2024, at Josie Harper Hospice House, Omaha, NE. 

Karen Jean March was born April 27, 1941, in Monticello, IA, a daughter of Robert “Bob” and Mary “Verona” (McElmeel) March. She was united in marriage to Arthur Loecke on December 26, 1964, at St. Francis Xavier Basilica, Dyersville. Karen and Arthur are celebrating 60 years together in 2024.

She graduated from Xavier High School in Dyersville. After high school, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Marycrest College in Davenport. She taught kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary, 7th and 8th grade math at St. Paul the Apostle, and substituted for Green Acres and the Davenport school district. Later, she worked for Von Maur and was a travel agent at the time of her retirement. Throughout her career, she raised and cared for 4 daughters.

Karen was deeply committed to her faith and loved to go to Eucharistic Adoration. She loved Christmas, traveling, annual Marycrest campouts, and along with her husband visited most of the USA and almost 50 countries around the world. As the #1 Hawkeye, Creighton, and Cubs fan, she followed all college sports and loved watching the games with her family. She always appreciated a good game; basketball and football were her favorites. She loved to dance, play piano, sew, and bake. Ceramics was one of her favorite artistic hobbies; she was very talented and made beautiful nativity scenes, tea pots, light up Christmas trees, and more. Her family will always remember the special birthday cakes she made and decorated for them. Over the years she decorated more than 100 cakes for her grandchildren. She loved her children and grandchildren deeply, and actively followed all their endeavors. She always had time to lend a listening ear and made you feel that “everything is going to be okay.” 

Those left to honor her memory include her husband Arthur; daughters Margaret Knoedler of Greeley, CO, Katie (Mike) Ringo of Mason City, IA, Tricia (Tim) Maxwell of Missouri Valley, IA, Therese (Eric) Nelson of Omaha, NE; grandchildren Chelsea Ringo, Sara (Tim) Maul, Mary Maxwell, Jacob Knoedler, Ashley Nelson, Timothy (Taylor) Maxwell, Jr., Emma Reilly, Alec Reilly, Hanna Knoedler, Stephen Ringo, Ian Nelson, Allison Knoedler, Joey Ringo, Ty Nelson; great-grandchildren Keyley Nelson, Kayden Nelson, Evelyn Maul, Zariyah Nelson, Sullivan Maxwell; siblings Carol White, Marjorie (Joe) Sweeney, Colleen (Dale) Kiefer, and Maureen (Tom) Kieffer.

She was preceded in death by her parents and grandson Brian Reilly, Jr.

Online remembrances may be expressed at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.