Schenectady
Karen Marie Izzo, 63, walked, lived, and loved on this Earth from February 16,1959, until she was united with our Lord Jesus Christ on September 17, 2022.
She was the third child of John David Hartmann and Anna Marie Kreutzburg. She was raised in the Catskill area with her brother, David, and her sister, Trisha, where they enjoyed a simple country life. She graduated from Ravena, Coeymans, Selkirk high school.
Soon after high school, she married William Dennis. Together they had a son, Phillip. She and her husband divorced. She then met and married the love of her life, Frank Izzo, and became an important role to his children, Angela, Peter, and Gina. In 2020, she fulfilled one of her items on her bucket list. Frank and Karen bought a home in the country with plenty of property to wander and explore. She was able to get back to the simple life she enjoyed as a child. She loved to sit on the deck and watch the deer, bunnies, birds, and other wildlife while she drank her coffee. She found true peace and happiness there. This became her happy place.
Karen’s career was in management She managed Star Market, Quality Cleaners, and a Dental Office. She had a calm, happy-go-lucky personality, and was genuinely a “people” person. She was always smiling and making everyone feel comfortable. These attributes of hers made her a success in her career.
Karen was a strong, independent woman. She was a fighter, winning her battle with cancer in 1999. There was nothing she couldn’t do, whether it was installing window trim to sewing a quilt. She could run any power tool, and owned just about all of them. She could sew, cook, bake, can foods, garden, and the list can go on. She was a wealth of knowledge that her kids always called to tap into.
Karen had a passion for art. She had a God-given talent for drawing and putting together colors. She loved to draw, paint, sew, and create an assortment of projects. She had an eye for perfection.
Travel and golf were passions of hers. Her and Frank enjoyed traveling all over. They took trips to California to visit Peter, when he returned from Iraq. While there, she was able to reunite with her cousin, Michael Kreutzburg. They visited Angela in Alaska, where she was able to camp in Denali National Park, go to the Artic Circle, watch a glacier calve, and humpback whales swim. They traveled to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and the list goes on, to visit family and explore new places. One of the many things her and Frank did together was golf and they incorporated this into every trip. With every place they went, they had to play a round. Karen collected souvenir golf balls from every state she visited. She kept them in a glass display case in the living room…in alphabetical order, of course.
Karen loved her grandkids; Delilah, Jasper, Lauren, and Wyatt. They were the light in her eyes. She held a special relationship with each of them. She was always doing something with them. If she wasn’t with them, she was talking about them. She supported her grandkids with Delilah’s karate, Jasper’s new toy, Lauren’s interest in gardening and canning, and Wyatt’s football. She was proud of whatever hobby and interest they each pursued.
Karen loved and held special relationships with each of her family and friends. She was very close to her sister, Trisha. They held a special, loving, sisterly bond, complete with inside jokes. They spoke and visited regularly and were the best of friends.
Karen is survived by her loving husband, Frank Izzo; her son, Phillip Dennis (Amanda) and their children, Delilah and Jasper; his daughter, Angela and her children, Lauren and Wyatt; his daughter, Gina (Jake); and his son, Peter (Jen). She is also survived by her sister Trisha (Rich); her nieces, Ali (Tom) and Andi; and her nephews, Matt (Nina) and Zach (Cathy).