Karen Louise Colling
November 12, 1946 – October 19, 2024
Karen Louise (Panick) Colling of Riverton, Utah passed away peacefully, after a prolonged
illness, at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah on Saturday, October 19th, 2024.
She was born on November 12th, 1946, in Nampa, Idaho to Ervin William Panick and Winona
Addie Dewey. She was the second of four girls. Her beloved father passed away in 1953.
Winona later married Harold Ulrich Gerber and 2 boys were born to the couple.
Karen spent her early school years in Ione, Washington and Brownlee, Idaho. Later school
years and early adulthood Karen resided in the Nampa, Idaho area.
She was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
on March 30th, 1959.
Karen married Eugene Ellis on July 5th, , 1963, and resided in Salt Lake City, Utah. She later
divorced Eugene and relocated to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho with her three children Brad, Tim and
Tonia.
She married David Lee Colling of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho on August 5th, 1969. 2 additional
children, Christopher and DayValena, were added to the family.
Karen and Dave were divorced in 1981, and she turned her attention to raising her children and
furthering her education.
She graduated from Idaho State University VoTech with an associate’s degree in marketing and
Management and later in 1998 graduated from ISU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social
Work. She ended her working career at the State of Idaho H&W Children’s and Family Services.
She is the grandmother of 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Karen loved to spend time out of doors planting, weeding, and enjoying the beauty of her yards
and gardens. Traditionally family get togethers were always at her home and she loved being the
host, making all who showed up feel welcome and comfortable.
Karen was many things to many people, she was a daughter, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a
grandmother, a friend, a co-worker and more. During her golden years she received her finest
moniker yet, that of Grandma Bug-a-boo.
She is survived by her sons, Bradley Dean Colling, Tim Eugene Colling and Christopher Lee
Colling, her daughters Tonia Marie (Colling) Gardner and DayValena Kay (Colling) Lisonbee.
Her older sister Ervina Kay (Panick) Page and younger brother Richard Eugene Gerber.
She is preceded in death by her youngest brother Harold Lewis Gerber, two younger sisters,
Janine May (Panick) Lockyer and Mary Ellen (Panick) Pennington, and former husbands
Eugene Ellis and David Lee Colling.
A graveside memorial will be held at the Lava Hot Springs Cemetery, 11242 S. Dempsey Creek
Road on Wednesday October 23rd, 2024 at 11:00 am.