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Friends say goodbye to a beloved coworker
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Karen Kelsch passed away Wednesday, Nov. 26, and will be missed greatly among her friends, family and co-workers.
Kelsch was the Social Science and Public Affairs dean’s management assistant for more than 20 years. Her funeral was held Monday, Dec. 1, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Karen left her footprint at Boise State University throughout the years. She began her legacy at Boise State working in the dean’s office for the College of Health Sciences in 1981. In 1985 she transferred to the School of Public Affairs, which later changed to the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs.
Since then she worked as the management assistant for several deans and interim deans within the college.
“I worked with her for seven years,” SSPA Management Assistant Valencia Garrett said. “She was my confidant and saw me through many personal struggles.”
Garret wasn’t the only person’s life Kelsch touched. Susan Emerson, an SSPA network administrator, also formed a special bond with Kelsch during the three years they worked together.
“Whether you worked with her on graduation or in other areas at BSU, she touched a lot of lives and students,” Emerson said.
Emerson and Kelsch often worried about getting enough exercise, and walked the green belt together to calm their fear.
“And we always shared loads of chocolate,” Emerson said. “She loved peanut M&Ms or anything with chocolate, or those brownies from Subway.”
Kelsch was a very organized and scheduled person. She had routines that worked like clockwork.
“She was the kind of person that you would expect to have a real immaculate desk yet she always had piles and piles of papers and files everywhere. Everything was always askew,” Emerson said.
The SSPA College held a memorial service Tuesday, Dec. 9, in memory of Kelsch.
SONIA TREVIZO
Arbiter Journalist
