Kara Mensink

Kara Ann Mensink, beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, passed on to glory early Tuesday morning, Aug. 1, surrounded by her loved ones at home. She was 49.

Kara Ann (Dison) Mensink was born Feb. 4, 1974, in Rochester, Minnesota, the younger daughter of Charlene and Lauren Dison. In her early years, she could be seen careening down Walden Lane on her Big Wheel and playing with neighborhood friends. As a teen, she met Brian Mensink who would become her best friend and eventually her husband and the love of her life.

At Mayo High School, Kara excelled academically while also playing piano in the Southtown Singers show choir and competing in varsity tennis. She spent two years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before taking a year off to care for her mother. Kara completed her undergraduate studies at the University of St. Thomas, where she earned a teaching degree. She then taught middle school for two years in Minnetonka and Chaska before returning to graduate school to pursue an MS in genetic counseling at the University of Colorado in Denver.

After her graduation, Kara and Brian returned to Minnesota where Kara began work as a genetic counselor at Mayo Clinic, a position she held for almost 20 years. Kara's intelligence and empathy enabled her to expertly and compassionately advise both doctors and patients as they navigated through complex genetic conditions and related lab tests.

Kara's most important role was as mother to Grace, Luke and Maxwell. Her children were a source of immense pride and joy. She delighted in the beauty and busyness of daily routines, helping with homework, watching Luke's baseball games and Grace's cross country meets, and playing games around the kitchen table. Kara made even the small moments seem special.

Nowhere was Kara's motherly love more evident than in her relationship with her youngest son, Maxwell, who is on the autism spectrum. Kara had a unique ability to break through the challenges that communicating with Max presented. She prayed with Max each night, slowly starting with "Dear" and waiting for Max in his way to say "God." A simple prayer for the day would follow. Her love for Max led Kara to serve on several volunteer advisory boards for organizations focused on helping children with special needs and to start a special needs ministry at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.

In addition to being an extraordinary mother, Kara was an incredible friend. She had a unique ability to meet people where they were and truly saw and celebrated the good in everyone. Beginning with her childhood on Walden Lane and continuing through adulthood, Kara developed beautiful friendships that lasted her lifetime. Kara saw God's love reflected in every person that she met.

Kara loved vacations to warm destinations, reading books, trying new recipes, playing games, buying gifts, listening to music, movie nights, family gatherings, and was a die-hard Minnesota Twins fan.

Kara is survived by her loving husband, Brian, their three children, Grace, Luke, and Maxwell, her sister, Laura and the myriad of people whose lives she touched. She will be remembered for her faith, her kindness, her capacity for empathy, her ability to see the good in everyone, and her unwavering love for her family and friends.

Kara's celebration of life will be Friday, Aug. 18, at 11 a.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Visitation will be held one hour before the service and a luncheon will follow. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Special Needs Ministry Fund at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Fraser Autism Services, or Mayo Clinic.