Karen Grace Pavelsek

The world lost an amazing person on February 5th 2026. However, Karen finally has a good excuse to call into work. Jokes aside, she had a long career of being a “Jill of all trades, and a master of none.” Born in Kansas but a Colorado resident by middle school, she spent most of her life living and working around Littleton. She was raised by her parents Pauline Sofia (Nova) Saldivar and Arthur Mansfield Pavelsek. While attending Littleton High School, she contributed artwork to a small Littleton independent underground newspaper in the late 1960s and early 70s (printed on one of the first Xerox machines owned by a nearby car dealership). She also appeared as a background extra in the 1971 movie Vanishing Point, filmed in Denver. Karen portrayed herself (a hippie), complete with a fringe leather jacket and long blonde hair. She went on to be an accomplished fine artist, and featured many of her works at the Littleton Sidewalk Art Show in the early to mid 1970s. Karen also worked in concessions, and eventually became a bartender at the Centennial Race Track. She then started her antique career at Thrifty Scotsman Antique Shops (a.k.a. Little Bit Less), and continued as an independent antique appraiser for the rest of her life. She eventually coined her small consulting business, “Nouveau Antiques.” After Karen’s father died in the 1970s, her mother Pauline met and eventually married Shihan Frank J. Goody in the 1980s. Karen then started practicing Tai Chi Chuan at her step-father’s dojo: The American Budo Judo College; and continued martial arts for many years.

Karen began her college career by studying law enforcement and psychology at Arapahoe Community College. She earned her Associates Degree in General Studies before transferring to a four-year program at CU Denver. Karen paved the way for the use of art therapy in psychology during her internship at the Colorado Psychiatric Hospital while studying neuropsychology and fine art at the University of Colorado Denver; earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988. She later met Kurt Simmons in the late 80s (who also practiced martial arts), and they had their daughter Samantha Pavelsek-Simmons in 1990. Kurt & Karen celebrated their wedding in 1995. Karen enjoyed taking Samantha on little road trips to her sister Vicki’s cattle ranch often over the years. After her step-father’s death in 1995, Karen helped her mother Pauline with the family dojo until it closed in 2013. After her mother Pauline’s death in 2021, Karen focused on her career, family, hobbies and creating her artwork.

Over the years Karen worked various jobs as: a waitress, restaurant manager, retail customer service associate at Joslins (then acquired by Dillard’s), a para-legal assistant for her cousin C.J.; all before finding her calling at the bank. Karen is best known for her customer service, banking, notary, and teller work over the last 25 years starting at Bank One (and later acquired by JPMorgan Chase). Never wanting to retire, Karen worked until the very end—and died of a heart attack at home, on her day off from work.

Always the life of the party, Karen was often the funniest and kindest person in the room. With her pranks, antics, banter, inside jokes, and catchphrases, she always inspired joy and laughter with her “Karen-isms.” She enjoyed making people happy as well as: creating artwork, practicing Tai Chi, collecting indigenous Native American art, reading murder mystery novels, keeping up with the daily newspaper & comics, antique appraisal, stained glass art, chaotic gardening, philosophical whimsies under the moon, organizing brunch outings with her friends, and going on adventures with her family.

Karen is survived and dearly missed by her husband Kurt Simmons, her daughter Samantha Pavelsek-Simmons, her son-in-law Jonathan Witte, her sister Vicki Pavelsek, her cousins, and her “bank family.”

A celebration of life service will be held at Drinkwine Mortuary on March 6th at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, we are collecting grocery store gift cards for the family.

“Live one day at a time, and do it well.” ~ Karen Pavelsek

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Karen Grace Pavelsek, please visit our floral store.