Karen Nelson Conger, of Santa Barbara, Calif., passed away peacefully on May 5, 2014, after a brief illness. Karen was born on Feb. 20, 1943 in Glendale, Calif. to Madeline and Jon Nelson. After World War II the family moved to Lu Verne, Iowa so her father could join his father at their family owned bank. She loved and excelled in sports, and was pursued by Look Magazine, to work for and star on a basketball team they had. She was accepted by St. Olaf College and majored in Liberal Arts. In 1963, she was hired by Continental Airlines to fly as an Air Hostess. She loved her job and continued it for 20 years, flying both domestic and international flights. She was invited to hunt tiger in Nepal and spent two weeks in the jungle on Safari at the age of 23 in 1966. During her flying career she met and married Richard Rhodes in 1971. They were members of the Los Angeles Country Club. She became a passionate golfer and was asked to be on the Women’s Golf Team, and was also asked to serve on the Junior Golf Committee. Her marriage to Richard Rhodes ended in 1982. In 1983 Karen married James Conger, a DC-10 Captain with Continental Airlines. They had a son, Christopher Conger.

Karen is survived by her husband, Jim Conger; her son, Christopher Conger; her sister, Sonja B. Nelson ’62; and her brother, Jon Nelson.