Karen H. “Kay” Waller, 81, of Dubuque, passed away peacefully Monday, November 27, 2023, at Luther Manor in Dubuque.

Visitation will be from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm Friday, December 1, 2023, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory.

The Funeral Service for Kay will be 10:00 am Saturday, December 2, 2023, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory with Rev. Dianne Grace officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque.

Karen was born December 3, 1941, in Dubuque, IA, the daughter of Eugene and Charlene (Blum) Frommelt. On June 25, 1960, she married Donald D. Waller Sr. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Dubuque. He died August 8, 2016.

She was a 1959 graduate of Dubuque Senior High School.

Kay was a department manager at Kmart for 22 years before retiring in 1997.

She was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, and enjoyed flower gardening, collecting Southwestern items, and shopping at The Buckle.

Survivors include her five children, Donald (Cherie) Waller, Jr. of Ankeny, IA, Dennis (Lynn) Waller of Bernard, IA, Dawn LuGrain of Dubuque, Doug (Teresa) Waller of Bernard, IA, and Drew (Susan) Waller of Dubuque; 12 grandchildren, Jeremy Waller, Ashley (Daniel) Dvorak, Dustin (Betty Byers) Waller, Sean (Traci) Vaske, Amber (Warren Doud) Waller, Zachary Waller, Meggan LuGrain, Annie (Jeff) Meier, Nicole (Tyler) Kleiner, Samuel Waller, Maxwell Waller, and Vivian Waller; 16 great-grandchildren, William, Rose, Vanessa, Nadia, Haley, Joseph, Austin, Corbin, Adelyn, Nicolas, Dominic, Kierra, Jude, Allyanah, Elliott, Bristol, and Emmitt; one sister, Wendy Renne of Dubuque; two brothers, Mark (Gert) Frommelt of Dubuque, and Gene Frommelt of Vernon, TX; one sister-in-law, Sharon Frommelt of Dubuque; and her fur baby, Isabel.

Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, one son, Dean, two great-grandchildren, George and Charles, one sister, Kristen, and two brothers, Kenny and Craig.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for Dubuque Arboretum.

Her family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Hospice of Dubuque and Luther Manor for their caring support.

A photo tribute can be viewed and condolences sent to the family by visiting Kay’s obituary at www.hskfhcares.com.