Karen Rokala

Karen Rokala, 85  

Karen Rokala (Hjertstedt) was called home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She was peacefully surrounded by her family.

Karen’s funeral service was Monday, November 10, 2025, at the Kingston Apostolic Lutheran Church. Visitation was at
10 a.m., service at 11 a.m. with a luncheon to celebrate her at the Kingston Community Center immediately afterwards.   

Karen Judith Rokala (Hjertstedt) was born on May 15,1940, she grew up in Northwest Chicago, Ill., with her parents Oliver and Selma Hjertstedt and her siblings Beverly, Roger, Gerald, and Jayne. After graduating high school, she became an airline stewardess for United Airlines which she said allowed her “to see the world.”  While working as a stewardess based in Minneapolis, she met and married Earl Rokala. They initially lived in Minneapolis near Lake Calhoun and then built their home near Rockford, Minn., in the late 1960s. 

Earl and Karen loved spending time together. As a testament to their love, they recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary. Their life together included four children: Bill, Kathy Liimatta (Kevin), Thomas (lost in infancy), and Sally Roebke (Mark). They have one celebrated grandchild, Caden Roebke. 

Throughout her life she had many jobs that showed her desire to serve others. Karen enjoyed working as; a secretary, a teacher’s aide, a first grade teacher, and helping on the family tree farm. She also developed a love of photography and could be found at her kid’s sporting events taking photos of everyone. She ordered double sets of pictures so she could share them. One of her favorite passions was music. She wrote many songs that included scripture to teach Bible lessons to her children, the Pioneer Girls Club and Sunday school. Karen had a ready smile for all and a love of children. She also loved researching and recording her family ancestry. As a result, she was always willing to help others research and learn to record their family history.  

Karen had many interests that involved being outdoors. With Earl being a ski shop owner, Karen learned to ski as an adult. She also went on many canoe and camping trips in northern Minnesota. She enjoyed gardening and each year grew huge gardens full of flowers. Her favorite outdoor activity was searching for unique rocks. She saw God’s handiwork in each and every rock. 

In everything Karen did in life, she believed in the Bible and the promise of eternal life. She wore a cross around her neck and collected them to hang on her walls. For her the cross was an outer sign of inner conviction. Her love for Christ was central to who she was and His light shone forth in her everyday. 

For a lasting thought, Karen’s father kidded about how much he cared for her. Ollie could be heard saying, “I’m ‘Karen’ for you? Are you ‘Karen’ for me?” She did. Karen cared deeply for all the people she met and spent time daily praying for friends and family. She lived her life serving Jesus and selflessly caring for others.