White Funeral Home
400 First Street West
Independence, Iowa 50644

Independence – Karen A. McLaughlin, 77 years old, of Independence, IA, died Sunday, January 27, 2019, at the Dennis & Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha, IA, following a courageous battle with cancer.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 12:00 p.m. - Friday, February 1, 2019, at St. John Catholic Church, with Fr. David M. Beckman, celebrant. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Independence, IA.

Visitation will be 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., Thursday, January 31st, where there will be a Catholic Daughters rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a parish vigil service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at the funeral home for an hour before services, Friday. Memorials will be directed to the church.

Karen Ann Vogel was born August 12, 1941, in Waterloo, IA, the daughter of Francis Clement Vogel and Adeline Katherine (Holbach) Vogel. She graduated from Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville, IA, and Humboldt Airline School, Minneapolis, MN. She moved to New York City, NY, where she was employed by the airlines as a reservationist. After moving back home to Iowa, she married Lewis A. Nabholz on April 15, 1961, at St. Athanasius Catholic Church, Jesup, IA. They made their home in Jesup and Independence. He preceded her in death on December 14, 1987. On July 1, 1995, she married Loy M. McLaughlin in Independence, IA.

Following her employment in New York, she was employed as a bookkeeper for Frost Oil Co. in Jesup, IA, and then in the City Clerk’s office in Independence, IA. She was also a billing clerk at Independence Light & Power, Telecommunications for many years, before retiring in 2003. Karen was a member of the St. John Catholic Church, the church Rosary Society, where she served as treasurer, The Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court #495, and the Buchanan County Health Center Auxiliary. While Karen had many titles over the years, the most important were, wife, mom, and grandma. She enjoyed planting flowers and traveling with Loy. She spent many hours quilting and caring for her grandchildren - she simply loved being with her family.

Karen is survived by her husband, Loy McLaughlin of Independence, IA; 3 sons, Rod (Donna) Nabholz of Independence, IA, Brad (Susan) Nabholz of Sterling, AK, Chris (Stacy) Nabholz of Brandon, IA; 1 daughter, Jodi (Jeff) Mace of Grand Junction, CO; 1 step-daughter, Heather (Jeremy) Crawford of Palo, IA; her 9 grandchildren and 2 step - grandsons, Aubrey, Emma, Avery, Colin, Kale, Vaughn, Ellie, Jacob, Addie, Cora, Tanner; 3 brothers, Donald (Diane) Vogel of Peoria, AZ, Jim (Kathy) Vogel of Jesup, IA, Larry (Linda) Vogel of Jesup, IA; 1 sister, Diane Youngblut of Jesup, IA; and 1 sister - in - law, Doris Vogel of Dubuque, IA.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Lewis Nabholz, 1 sister, Marlene Wienands; 1 brother, Gary Vogel; and 2 brothers - in - law, Richard “Smokey” Youngblut and Dean Wienands.

White Funeral Home, Independence, IA is in charge of arrangements.