Karen Sasz

Karen Sasz, age 80, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, in Mountain Home. She was born April 24, 1936, in Boise, Idaho, to Wiley Emerald "Mac" and Pauline McMurtrey. Karen grew up in Mountain Home on the family ranch with her five siblings.

While in high school, she met and married Carter Jarrell Jr. who was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Their union produced four daughters: Jerrie, Carrie, Terri and Cheri. Together, they owned and operated Don's Texaco. Karen and Carter later divorced.

Karen worked at Safeway grocery store for many years as a cashier. She made lifelong friends there with co-workers and customers. Hard-working and brutally honest, she influenced many with her work ethic. When she wasn't working, you could find her selflessly taking care of her parents or spending time with her children.

Through encouragement from a co-worker, she met and later married the love of her life, George Sasz. After Karen retired, she became a volunteer at the local nursing home and the base hospital. She and George were fortunate to be able to travel and see quite a bit of the United States attending reunions, vacationing, and visiting family and friends.

Karen had a sense of adventure and loved seeing new places and experiencing new things. Her favorites included a helicopter ride in Hawaii and a white water rafting trip on the Salmon River. She was an avid reader and collector.

George became Karen's tireless caregiver when she was diagnosed with dementia. Completely devoted to her, he visited every single day after she moved into the Long-Term Care Unit. Mom never complained about her condition and faced each day bravely with a smile. She truly lived life to the fullest through simple pleasures -- chatting with friends and family, enjoying a good meal and spending time with those she loved.

Karen leaves behind her husband of 43 years, George Sasz; daughters Jerrie Brown and Terri Manduca; stepson Mike Sasz; grandchildren Josh, Isaac, Zachariah, Melody, Scott and Rachel; and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wiley Emerald (Mac) and Pauline McMurtrey; siblings Frederick Wayne (Swede) McMurtrey, Emeril Afton (Skip) McMurtrey, Alton Dale (Dale) McMurtrey, Sheila (Perk) Deisering and Norma Sell; and daughters Carrie Scott and Cheri Castelin.

Friends and family are invited on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, to Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, for a viewing beginning at 4 p.m. and the Rosary at 6 p.m. Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Mountain Home.

A special thank you to the staff at St. Luke's Elmore Long-Term Unit.

Cherish the time spent with your loved ones as it is fleeting...