Karen Yundak

Karen Marie Yundak, 84, of Brainerd, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at her home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Karen is survived by her daughters Stephanie Yundak Castellanos (Cesar) and Stacy Yundak, as well as her grandchildren Xanthea, Jaime and Braden. She is also survived by her sister Judy Anderson (Neil) and her nephew Brian Anderson.

Karen was born Aug. 24, 1940, in St. Paul and graduated from Hopkins High School and lived in California for a while before returning to the Twin Cities. Karen and her husband Roger were married in 1963 and moved to the Brainerd Lakes Area in the late 1960’s where they lived on Round Lake for 50 years.

Karen served for many decades as a volunteer and member of multiple organizations in the Brainerd Lakes Area, including the Nisswa Lionesses, the Nisswa Women’s Club, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary in Brainerd and the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa. She owned the retail store Hatties Fashions in Pequot Lakes for over a decade, which she ran with her daughter Stacy. Karen also traveled with her husband Roger, who worked as a wholesale clothing rep, to support him at numerous shows and clothing markets.

Karen and Roger considered their home on Round Lake and the woods surrounding it a “slice of heaven” and would love to spend time enjoying the outdoors, preparing family meals and hosting social events for their many friends in the area. Karen was very involved in her daughters’ lives and volunteered time at Nisswa Elementary School and Campfire Girls, among other organizations. She kept them busy with many activities, including skiing, ice skating, music lessons, dance, cooking, crafting and church. Karen was the cornerstone of her family. She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother who organized all of the special holiday meals, birthdays and many other memorable family gatherings. She was strong in her faith, very caring and was a blessing to all who encountered her.

Karen was preceded in death by her husband Roger Yundak, her parents Verna and Peter Petersen, her nephew Mark Anderson and several loving pets including Pete, Snoopy and Quigley.

Committal of Karen’s ashes will be at the Lutheran Church of the Cross Columbarium in Nisswa following a private ceremony.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Brenny Family Funeral Chapel, Baxter.