Karen Marie Kitchin (Jakubowski), age 69, found peace on July 23, 2026, while surrounded by her immediate family.

Karen was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 10, 1956, to Dorothy (nee Jasinski) and Walter Jakubowski. Karen married her best friend, Gary Kitchin, on November 14, 1981, and enjoyed 44 years of road trips, Brewer games, and music parties together. She was the most amazing mom to her two children. In 2017, she retired from teaching to be Grandma Karen full time and found joy playing Barbie’s, going to the zoo, and watching her granddaughters dance.

Karen is survived by her devoted husband, Gary; her daughter, Emily Mueller (Eric); her son, Matthew Kitchin (Will); and her granddaughters, Penelope, Dorothy, and Margaret Mueller. Also survived by her brother, David Jakubowski; sisters, Diane Sanborn (John) and Shari Imp; sisters-in-law, Heather Kitchin (Rocky) and Christine Kitchin (Charles); and many nieces and nephews. Karen is preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and Walter Jakubowski; brother, Kenneth Murdok; brother in-law, Paul Imp; and in-laws, Dorothy and Albert Kitchin.

A celebration of Karen’s life will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 3722 S. 58th Street in Milwaukee on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Memorial Gathering at 10:30AM and Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:30AM. Feel free to wear your favorite Brewers shirt as Karen loved to cheer on the Crew.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Karen’s memory to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.