Karen Sollom, 76, of Bemidji died Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. 

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, April 20, 2019 at Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. 

Karen was born April 22, 1942 in Breckenridge, MN, the daughter of Alfred and Katherine (Ista) Anderson. She was raised and educated in Wahpeton, ND. She attended the University of North Dakota, where she earned her RN degree and later her Master’s Degree in nursing. She married Ralph Sollom August 22, 1964 and they moved to Greenbush, MN, to work and raise their children, Paula and Barry. After 5 years, they moved to Bagley, MN, where she worked for the county nursing program. Later, she became a nursing instructor at Bemidji Technical College, eventually becoming head of that department at BTC. After living in Bagley for several years, Ralph and Karen made their home in Bemidji. Karen was instrumental in implementing the Bachelor of Science Nursing program at BSU, which has affected the lives of many nurses in our communities. 

Karen was very involved with the Garden Club in Bemidji and active with the DFL in Beltrami County and throughout the state of Minnesota. She loved flowers, gardening, and playing bridge with her friends. She is survived by her husband, Ralph Sollom; daughter, Paula (Todd) Flom; grandson, Teddy Sollom; and her sister, Vicky (Gary) Gernhardt. She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Barry Sollom; daughter-in-law, Dr. Marilou Sollom; and her niece, Dr. Seli Gernhardt. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials will be distributed to the following: Animal Humane Society, Golden Valley, MN; Feed the Children; Great River Rescue; Bemidji Garden Club