Karri (Brauner) Townsend, 51

Karri Ann (Brauner) Townsend was born Oct. 23, 1969, and departed this life on Sept. 5, 2021, at her home surrounded by her children, family, and loved ones, and in the arms of her beloved husband and twin sister. She was 51 years old.

Karri was born in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. to Lorna Wasson and Edwin Brauner. She grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She and her sisters spent a lot of time outdoors riding bikes, playing in the "Junior House" built by her Grandpa Jerry, playing with friends and eating cherry tomatoes right off the vine. She was a cheerleader at Coeur d'Alene High School and graduated in 1987.

She attended North Idaho College, then the University of Idaho, joining the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Around the time of her college graduation in 1992, she learned of a profession that called her ... school psychology. This led to her studying educational psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Masters Degree. She received her educational psychologist credential at California State University, Hayward and began her career as a school psychologist.

It was during her graduate school years that Karri was called to the LDS faith and then met the love of her life, Jeff Townsend. They married in June of 1996 in the LDS Temple in San Diego. Over the next six years, they gleefully welcomed three children, son Ethan, daughter Lauren, and son Seth.

As their children grew, they decided to move back to Idaho and settled in Meridian. Karri served in many church roles, including Relief Society President and found great satisfaction in these callings.

Resuming her professional life after their move, Karri worked as a school psychologist for the Kuna School District for over a decade. She touched the lives of countless students and families. She thoroughly enjoyed her career and was professionally fulfilled through this work.

Late in 2017, Karri started to have some puzzling and concerning physical symptoms. This led her down an unexpected and harrowing path to a diagnosis of ALS. This was devastating to her and everyone around her. She fought this condition bravely and found ways, even in the depths of her illness, to help others. This included participating in a clinical trial for a new potential ALS treatment (at great effort and expense to travel to San Francisco almost a dozen times), consulting from her couch with colleagues who sought her professional advice, helping family and friends with her sound advice and wisdom in many aspects of life, and always finding ways to do nice things for others. She truly was one of the most thoughtful and kind people any of us will ever know.

Throughout her life Karri touched lives and made cherished friendships. She loved Jeff, Kelli and her extended family deeply. Karri's children were her greatest joy, biggest accomplishment, and favorite people in the world. She is survived by her husband, Jeff, and children, Ethan, Lauren and Seth, her mother, Lorna Wasson, her father and step-mother, Edwin and Diane Brauner, her sisters Laura (Scott) Sutherland and twin Kelli (Ty) Ketlinski, step-brothers David (Jill) Howe and Michael (Christine) Howe, Mitchell (Tammy) Wasson, Mark Wasson and step-sister, Traci (Karl) Ross, her many nieces and nephews, loving in-laws, her chosen sister, Amy Lieu Neumann and a host of dear friends. She is preceded in death by her grandparents Gerald and Karen Ream, and Edwin and Martha Brauner, and her step-father Eugene Wasson.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, at the LDS chapel, 190 S. Locust Grove, Meridian, with a celebration of life to follow.

Godspeed Karri, until we meet again. We love you.