MADISON - Karen Lyn (Clark) Erickson, age 66, of Madison, passed away peacefully at home with her daughters by her side on Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Madison, Wis.

Karen was born on December 26, 1959, in Milwaukee, Wis., to James Clark and Phyllis (Steinhofer) Clark. Karen grew up in Monona, Wisconsin and graduated Monona Grove High School in 1978. She went on to attend Madison Business College. On April 28th, 1989, she married the love of her life Paul Erickson and together they raised two daughters, Staci and Ashly.

Karen’s career began at the University Book Store. She was a payroll benefits manager at Tellurian for 25 years. After her retirement from Tellurian, she found a second career at Operation Fresh Start as the self described “lunch lady”. There she truly enjoyed getting to know all the participants and learning about their lives.

In her free time, Karen loved doing diamond art and paint by number and she enjoyed gifting her artwork to family and friends. Karen was also famous among family and friends for her love of brightly colored summer dresses and being barefoot whenever possible.

Karen is survived by her daughters, Staci Erickson and Ashly Erickson (Eric Koskovitch); mother, Phyllis Clark; sister, Cathy (Scott) Hamilton; brother, Mike (Marcy) Clark; mother-in-law, Jo Erickson; numerous nieces and nephews, including her niece and nephew Becca and Matt (Jen) Hamilton, with whom she shared a special bond.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul; father, James Clark; stepfather, Ken Kitowski; father-in-law, Gordy Erickson; her sister-in-law Debbie Erickson; and nephew Travis Erickson.

Finally, the family would like to extend a thank you to the entire hospice staff at Agrace HospiceCare, especially Karen’s nurse, Mallory, for their compassionate care of Karen.

A celebration of life will be held at BREAKWATER, 6308 Inland Way, Monona, from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2026.

In honor of Karen, the family would love guests to wear their favorite summer dress or bright colors. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Agrace Hospice Care. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420

Karen Erickson

December 26, 1959 - June 04, 2026

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