Karen Kay Cole

Karen Kay Cole, 82, of Schertz, TX, passed away peacefully after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease on Sunday, June 1st, 2025. Karen was born in Sioux City, Iowa, but spent most of her life moving around the US and the world, first as a corpsman for the US Navy, then as a military spouse when she married Capt. Dennis E. Cole, USN (Ret.), in 1970. Karen was generous with gifts, advice, and her wit; or, as one family member recently commented, “Karen was my first example, in the best way, of women not needing to be demure and proper at all times.” 

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Dennis Cole, of Schertz, TX; her daughter, Kristen Cole, of Schertz, TX; and her sister, Connie Lemmon, of Elkpoint, SD. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Kendra Cole; her mother, Mildred Darrow; her father Arnold Hollister; her sisters, Shirley Smith and Christine Barr; and her brother, Donald Hollister.