Karen Benedicte Larsen

Karen Benedicte Larsen, a devoted mother of three and talented physician, passed away unexpectedly in St. Paul on Monday, March 9, 2026. She was 60.

Karen was born in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 4, 1966, to Karl and Ellen Larsen, both from Norway. Soon after her birth, the family moved to the United States.

It would be the first of many moves in Karen's early life as her father's engineering career took her family to cities across the country and eventually back to Switzerland.

Karen was recognized for her intelligence early in life, and she eventually used her gifts to pursue a career in medicine - all while raising three children she was even more proud of than her work as a pathologist.

Medicine wasn't her only talent. Karen was an expressive and creative woman who loved the arts and appreciated beauty, both natural and human-made. As she pursued her career and raised her three children, Alex, Fiona, and Ian, she devoted spare time to her crafts and gardening. Many who walk by her St. Anthony Park home stop to admire the rock garden of native plants and flowers she poured her creativity and passion into for twenty years.

Karen was also well-versed in ancient and medieval history. She was fascinated by Near Eastern archaeology and the early days of Christianity.Karen returned to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1983 and later attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned an undergraduate degree in psychology. She graduated with a medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1997, specializing in hematology during her residency.

Karen is preceded in death by her mother, who passed away in 2013.

Besides her children and father, she is survived by her sister Henriette; brothers Chris (Debbie), Erik, and Morten; numerous relatives in Norway, and her husband David.

A funeral mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, March 16, at the Church Of The Assumption, 51 7th St. W., in downtown St. Paul. Visitation begins at 9 a.m.

A burial service is scheduled for Monday at Sunset Memorial Cemetery, 2250 St. Anthony Blvd., in Minneapolis. Memorial donations can be made to Catholic Charities Twin Cities or NAMI