Karen Virginia Kinnison 

February 10, 1940

February 27, 2025

Karen Virginia Kinnison passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 27, 2025, with her children by her side. Karen was born in San Antonio, Texas to Paul and Virginia Saunders Kinnison. Karen, together with her older brother, Paul Jr. (Kin) and younger brother, William Edgar (Bill), spent her childhood moving nearly every two years throughout the United States and abroad while Paul Sr. served in the Army. The military lifestyle created strong family ties, while also forcing the children to be outgoing, fast to make friends and instilling a sense of adventure that Karen fostered throughout her lifetime.

Karen attended school in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Germany, and the Philippines. She graduated from Gulfport High School in 1958 in Gulfport, Mississippi. After graduation, she followed the family to the next post and enrolled in the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany. After several years abroad, she moved to Washington, DC, then Houston, then back to Central Texas and Salado.

It was in Texas that she married, raised a family, and lived surrounded by many friends and close relatives. A woman of wide-ranging interests, Karen was a devout Christian, artistic craftsman, animal lover, environmentalist, and avid camper. For over 40 years, Karen was active in the Salado United Methodist Church, and in the Salado community. She was forever looking for ways to help the environment. As a lifelong conservationist, she devoted a great deal of her time monitoring the water quality in the Salado creek, organizing The Green Team recycling in Salado, serving as a member of the cemetery board and the Native Plants

Society of Bell County. She also enjoyed volunteering at the Earth Day Festival, the Herb Festival and the Texas Folklife Festival. She and her mother kept the Woman’s Exchange Shop on Main Street where she developed a regional reputation for artfully repairing cane furniture and weaving baskets among many other crafts. Karen lived a full and happy life, filled with many memorable events; she was an inspiration to family and friends, and her loving legacy of artistic adventure will long live in their hearts. Karen was happiest when she was making others laugh with her witty sense of humor, supporting her children and grandchildren, visiting family and friends, enjoying good food and a cold beer, and planning her next camping trip.

Her last weeks were filled with a steady stream of family and friends stopping by to share their love. Karen is survived by her daughter Patricia Voelter Fazzino of Bryan, son Andrew Kinnison Voelter and his wife Teresa of Holland; grandchildren Ashley Voelter, Kathryn Voelter-Rodriguez, Lillian Voelter, and Luke Fazzino; brother, Paul Kinnison Jr. and wife Trudy of San Antonio, and William Edgar Kinnison and wife Karen Sue of Salado, nieces and nephews. The family will receive visitors at Broecker Funeral Home in Salado from 5-7 pm Wednesday, March 19.

A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday March 20 at 10 a.m. at Salado United Methodist Church chapel, Pastor Jennifer Hodson officiating. The burial will follow in the Historic Salado Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

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