Karen Samuel

An uncommonly special lady - Karen Samuel of Boulder – was tragically taken from us at Boulder Community Health on the evening of April 10, 2015.
Karen was born July 29th, 1944 to Virginia Brown Kretsinger and C.E.(“Buddy”) Kretsinger in Sherman, TX.
She graduated from Sherman High School in 1962. She then attended Texas Tech University and East Texas State University. She next turned her treasured adventurous spirit loose, working at large festive parks where she elevated the “have fun” ambitions of legions of children she chose to lead in play. Next she extended the “fun and frolic” style she happily represented to a new primarily adult audience as a hostess for the Texas Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. After returning home, Karen proudly advanced to the American Airlines Stewardess College, where she successfully trained to host the airline’s passengers. She met her husband to be Lieutenant David Samuel during her training while he was likewise in an exciting flight training program. He was upgrading to be an Air Force instructor pilot at Vance AFB, OK. David and Karen were married in December, 1965. She was a wonderful mother of their two sons Jeffrey and Mark a devoted wife, and a vibrant source of uncommon diversions into joyful, magical lands.
Karen was very sadly preceded in death by her son Mark Samuel, and later her parents Virginia and Jack Kretsinger.
She is survived by her husband Colonel David Samuel (retired) of Boulder, Colorado; son Lt. Col. (retired) Jeffrey Samuel of Roseville, California; daughter-in-law Susan Samuel of Granite Bay, California; grandsons Jack and Dylan Samuel, also of Granite Bay; sisters Lou Ann Booker and Margaret Reynolds of Sherman, TX; and Marilyn Kretsinger and Nelda Cooper of Denison, TX.
A memorial for Karen is planned for family and friends on Saturday, April 25 at the Boulder Valley Church of Christ, 270 N. 76th Street, Boulder at 11:00.