OBITUARY: KAREN ARLENE ROLLINS
OBITUARY: KAREN ARLENE ROLLINS News Staff Mon, 08/05/2024 - 10:22 Subheader body October 4, 1940 – July 30, 2024 In-page image(s) X Small Image Body Karen Rollins (born Karen Arlene Hall), 83, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday, 30 July, 2024. She was born Karen Arlene Hall on 4 October, 1940 in El Paso Texas to Charles Raymond Hall and Ruby Earlene (Dakan) Hall. She was preceded in death by her parents as well as by her sister Susan Rae (Hall) Holt. She is survived by her sister Nancy Lynn Hall, her daughter Leslie Suzanne (Rollins) Henne (and her husband Ron), by her son John Michael Rollins, Jr, and his wife Kathryn Anne (Jensen) Rollins and by her granddaughter, Julia Grace Rollins as well as by her brother-in-law, Capt. Richard H. Holt (USN, retired) and his wife, Judy. She is also survived by nephews Richard B. Holt and his daughter Aurora, by Corey G. Holt and his wife Kerin and their children Daniel, Malia, Kaiden, and by Nancy’s son John J. Zelinski and his wife Monika and their children Kaius and Tilda Joy, as well as by Nancy’s daughter Lori (Zelinski) Bullock and her husband Cyrus.Karen was an excellent mother, generous of spirit and humor. She grew up in El Paso and married John Michael Rollins (Sr.) in 1959. She was a stay-at-home mom while she had toddlers but once her children were in elementary school, she returned to the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) to finish her history degree (1972).The family moved from El Paso to Canadian, Texas, in 1978 and Karen was largely employed by Mike’s GM dealership until 1984, when the marriage ended and she moved back to El Paso to live with her parents. In 1989, her father passed away, and in 1991 her mother moved to Colorado to start and operate a tea shop and boutique, whereas Karen remained in El Paso and lived with Mike’s parents, Fred and Myrth Rollins, who adored her. Starting while working on a Master of Science degree in Education from UTEP (completed in 1991), she was an English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) Teacher at Valley View Middle School in El Paso from 1989 to 1999, and an ESOL and Social Studies teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Beaverton, Oregon, from 1999 until 2014. She had been a substitute teacher in the El Paso area in the 1970s and was again a substitute teacher after professional retirement in Beaverton for a few years after 2014. After retiring from Mountain View in June 2014 and appearing for the first time at one of the Beaverton high schools a few months later, she received a standing ovation upon entering a classroom where some of her former middle school students were now high school students.Karen had a reputation for caring for her students as important people, worthy of concern and also for feeding them. She loved students of middle-school age (even though we know some of them can be really difficult) largely because they made her laugh. Karen was an advocate for her own children, her school children and the neighborhood children, and would bring whatever pressure to bear that was needed in order to protect them. This created treasured memories for some of us and sometimes unpleasant memories for those whom she perceived as the bullies, management and bureaucracies causing the problems.After a trip and fall in her Beaverton residence, a resulting surgery, and the development of mobility issues, Karen stayed with her son and daughter-in-law Kathy in Houston for four and a half years, eventually succumbing to numerous health issues. She will be greatly missed but her family looks forward to seeing her again when the Lord calls each of us home. Tags Karen Rollins El Paso Canadian Beaverton Obituaries
MC Caliman
October 4, 1940 – July 30, 2024
Karen Rollins (born Karen Arlene Hall), 83, passed away in her sleep on Tuesday, 30 July, 2024. She was born Karen Arlene Hall on 4 October, 1940 in El Paso Texas to Charles Raymond Hall and Ruby Earlene (Dakan) Hall.
She was preceded in death by her parents as well as by her sister Susan Rae (Hall) Holt. She is survived by her sister Nancy Lynn Hall, her daughter Leslie Suzanne (Rollins) Henne (and her husband Ron), by her son John Michael Rollins, Jr, and his wife Kathryn Anne (Jensen) Rollins and by her granddaughter, Julia Grace Rollins as well as by her brother-in-law, Capt. Richard H. Holt (USN, retired) and his wife, Judy. She is also survived by nephews Richard B. Holt and his daughter Aurora, by Corey G. Holt and his wife Kerin and their children Daniel, Malia, Kaiden, and by Nancy’s son John J. Zelinski and his wife Monika and their children Kaius and Tilda Joy, as well as by Nancy’s daughter Lori (Zelinski) Bullock and her husband Cyrus.
Karen was an excellent mother, generous of spirit and humor. She grew up in El Paso and married John Michael Rollins (Sr.) in 1959. She was a stay-at-home mom while she had toddlers but once her children were in elementary school, she returned to the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) to finish her history degree (1972).
The family moved from El Paso to Canadian, Texas, in 1978 and Karen was largely employed by Mike’s GM dealership until 1984, when the marriage ended and she moved back to El Paso to live with her parents. In 1989, her father passed away, and in 1991 her mother moved to Colorado to start and operate a tea shop and boutique, whereas Karen remained in El Paso and lived with Mike’s parents, Fred and Myrth Rollins, who adored her.
Starting while working on a Master of Science degree in Education from UTEP (completed in 1991), she was an English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) Teacher at Valley View Middle School in El Paso from 1989 to 1999, and an ESOL and Social Studies teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Beaverton, Oregon, from 1999 until 2014. She had been a substitute teacher in the El Paso area in the 1970s and was again a substitute teacher after professional retirement in Beaverton for a few years after 2014. After retiring from Mountain View in June 2014 and appearing for the first time at one of the Beaverton high schools a few months later, she received a standing ovation upon entering a classroom where some of her former middle school students were now high school students.
Karen had a reputation for caring for her students as important people, worthy of concern and also for feeding them. She loved students of middle-school age (even though we know some of them can be really difficult) largely because they made her laugh. Karen was an advocate for her own children, her school children and the neighborhood children, and would bring whatever pressure to bear that was needed in order to protect them. This created treasured memories for some of us and sometimes unpleasant memories for those whom she perceived as the bullies, management and bureaucracies causing the problems.
After a trip and fall in her Beaverton residence, a resulting surgery, and the development of mobility issues, Karen stayed with her son and daughter-in-law Kathy in Houston for four and a half years, eventually succumbing to numerous health issues. She will be greatly missed but her family looks forward to seeing her again when the Lord calls each of us home.
