Karen Virginia Stoddard

Karen Virginia Plumb Stoddard, age 83, died peacefully with her daughter by her side on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Sunshine Terrace Nursing Home in Logan, Utah. Karen was born on February 06, 1942 to Clifford and Ida Plumb in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the oldest of 3 daughters.

Early on, Karen was a tomboy. Her father was a creator and Karen was able to enjoy the things that he made. At just four years old, she drove a quarter size manual jeep that her father built for her. She used to take her little neighbor friends and sisters for rides in it. When she was eight, her dad built a motorcycle that she loved to ride. She also enjoyed shooting guns and bow and arrows. Karen loved animals and had several dogs throughout her childhood; however, her greatest love was horses. Karen was reared, for the most part, in the home that her dad built in Ogden Canyon. It was there that her dad entrusted her to set out on their horse, Pepper, at night, to ride the horse to Huntsville. He gave her a 2 hour head start. She rode by the light of the full moon. She enjoyed being raised in Ogden Canyon and told of stories that would include anything from mountain lions to rattle snakes. In Ogden Canyon they lived on the banks of the river and she spent a great portion of her childhood floating and playing in it. She fondly remembers the years spent going to school and time spent with her friends in Huntsville.

As the oldest child, there were times when much was expected of her. As her mother returned to school, she took care of the home and her sisters. She learned the value of working hard. She spoke of hard times as a teenager where she spent time at home cleaning while her friends were dating and have a good time. The time alone allowed her to discover her love for piano and music.

She attended Weber High School and it was during her senior year that she met the love of her life. It was just what she needed at that time. Karen had just been to an LDS youth social when they stopped at Mason’s Drive-Inn to get something to eat. A car of young men pulled up next to her car and they exchanged words. The young men teased the one named Ken, 22, as he flirted with Karen, then 17. It was then that he told them to stop teasing him because that was the woman he was going to marry. That’s how their story began. She was still in High School when she was engaged and loved when he would come and pick her up. It made her feel so special. They were engaged on January 3, 1960 and married on the 8th of July that same year in the Logan Temple. For the first several years of their marriage, they lived in a trailer in Hooper where they had their first two children, Shane and Scott. Ken was a Utah Highway Patrolman and was then transferred to Wendover for a time, where they lived in the same trailer. After living in Wendover, they built a home in Hooper next to Ken’s parents. Here, they had the rest of their children, Joey, Jared, and Angie. In 1976 Ken decided to retire from the Highway Patrol and move to Idaho where he could start to farm and do what he loved doing. They packed up the family and first moved to Rockford, Idaho and then to Howe, Idaho. It was there in Howe that, on June 23, 1977, Ken and her 13 year old son, Scott, were electrocuted and killed in a farming accident. This was the greatest hardship that she would ever endure. After their deaths, Karen returned to N. Ogden, Utah where she could be near her and Ken’s families.

In North Ogden, her children had the great privilege of Karen being their librarian at Green Acres Elementary. She worked in this position for 8 years. It was then that she decided to broaden her horizons and work towards learning other trades. After working other odd jobs, such as a travel agent, she finally landed and enjoyed working as a secretary for the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. From 1990-1992 she was briefly married and lived in Rexburg, Idaho. After the marriage, she returned back to Ogden having learned how to drive a semi. For 14 more years, she drove semi-trucks and worked for different companies, whether it was local or long distant. She loved her designated run that she drove to Nebraska and recalled many times when she was protected on the road. Being a woman semi-truck driver was always one of her proudest accomplishments.

After Ogden, she first lived in Corinne, Utah and then bought the home that she adored in Brigham City, Utah. After retiring from trucking in approximately 2008, she worked for about five more years for Icon Fitness until she was 71. In 2016 she had her first stroke. In 2017, she fell and almost ruptured her aorta and was life-flighted to the University of Utah. It was there that she had another stroke and spent 6 weeks recovering.

Karen was never quite the same and spent the remainder of her 8 years living with Shane or Angie, or at Sunshine Terrace Nursing Home. She hated the food at Sunshine Terrace, but loved her nurses and CNAs. We are so grateful for the love and compassion that they gave to her. We are especially grateful for Sunshine Home Health and Hospice, her nurse Steve, and her CNA, Marissa.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents Clifford and Ida Plumb, her sister Valerie McBride (Stan), her brother-in-law Hal (Joyce), her husband Ken and three of her sons: Scott, Joey, and Jared, and her daughter-in-law- Melanie Stoddard. She is survived by her oldest son Shane (Melanie), her daughter Angie (Brandon) and her two daughters’ in law Cindy (Joey), Shelly (Jared) and her 11 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, with 2 more expected this year.

Karen was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as ward chorister, Relief Society chorister/pianist, as well as callings in the Young Women.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to White Pine Funeral Home and for the tender care given to our mother and grandmother, after her passing. Karen will have a graveside burial, only, with a small viewing, at the Hooper, Utah, cemetery on Friday May 2, at 12:00 noon.