ACKLEY — Karen Stoppelmoor, 87, of Ackley, passed away Friday, September 18, 2026, at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, leaving a legacy of kindness, community service and a home where others could find comfort.
A private family viewing will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, September 24, at Woodley Funeral Home, 516 S. Oak Street in Iowa Falls. A family graveside service and burial will take place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, north of Ackley. Woodley Funeral Home of Iowa Falls is caring for Karen and her family.
Karen was born April 17, 1939, at her family’s home in Franklin County, the only child of Simon and Amelia (Aldinger) Muller. She attended country school, graduated from Ackley High School in 1957 and continued her education at Hamilton Business College.
Her love story with John L. Stoppelmoor began when he saw her leaving a beauty parlor the night before he departed for military service. Over the next 27 months, love letters helped nurture a relationship that would become a marriage lasting more than 63 years. They married January 5, 1963, and farmed together in Butler and Franklin counties.
Karen found purpose in helping others. She transported Hardin County residents to medical appointments locally and across Iowa, delivered the Waterloo Courier and operated the Ackley Heritage Center’s funnel cake stand. Her community involvement also included the Specken Dicken Dinner and Boy Scouts.
She created and delivered table favors for residents of area nursing homes and organized Operation Secret Santa for local children in the late 1980s. Through those efforts, Karen found many ways to bring a little happiness into someone else’s day.
That same generosity shaped life at home. Her family remembers that there was always room at the Stoppelmoor kitchen table for a child or adult who needed a meal, conversation or a safe place to rest. Karen made people feel welcome, cared for and loved.
She taught her family to work hard, give freely and care for others through her own example. Her family described her as a petite woman with an enormous heart, whose memory could be honored through everyday smiles, laughter and compassion.
Karen is survived by her husband, John LeRoy Stoppelmoor; her children, Melinda Stoppelmoor, Margaret (Nicholas) Crosthwaite, Micheal (B.J.) Stoppelmoor and Mark Stoppelmoor; five grandchildren, Kyle (Brittany) Crosthwaite, Nichole (Michael) Murphy, Kody Crosthwaite, Ciara and Sammi Jo; and three great-grandchildren, Ivy Jane, Archer and Vivienne.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Marianna Stoppelmoor-Schultz, and her parents, Simon and Amelia Muller.
To read more and see the full obituary, please click here.
NorthIowaToday.com publishes obituaries and remembrance stories free of charge for families and funeral homes.