Karen Netzloff (Earle) (Deceased), Okemos, MI Michigan last lived in Harrisonburg, VA USA

In Memoriam

Karen Netzloff (Earle) - Class Of 1983 VIEW PROFILE

Karen Netzloff (Earle)

Karen Anne Netzloff Earle class of 1983, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, 60, passed away on January 14, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was born on January 15, 1965, in Lansing, Michigan to Richard and Linda Netzloff. She was raised on their farm in Okemos, MI, located just outside of East Lansing, MI.

Karen graduated from Okemos High School, where she ran track, and was a cheerleader. She made many lasting friendships from the cheer squad. Karen subsequently graduated from Central Michigan University, where she was a proud and involved sorority member of Alpha Sigma Tau. Again, Karen enjoyed lasting friendships with her sorority sisters.

She is survived by her husband, J. Burns Earle, III, whom she married on September 18, 1993; a son, John Burns Earle, IV, and daughter, Sarah Kathlyn Earle. Karen was a loving, loyal and devoted wife to her Attorney husband, whom she met at the “Small Planet” in East Lansing, MI. Karen and Burns dated while he attended law school in Michigan. Before Karen married, she joked there are three (3) things that she would not do: 1) marry an Attorney, 2) live in a town that ended with “burg”, and 3) drive a station wagon. Karen never drove a station wagon. Her children were the absolute apple of her eyes. She took pride in mentoring both children through all their school and extracurricular activities and seeing them graduate from college. Karen is further survived by a sister, Laurie Netzloff Adams of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and brother, Mark Richard Netzloff of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Karen excelled in sales, first working for Grand Home Furnishings in Harrisonburg for five (5) years, and then SYSCO of Virginia for twenty-seven (27) years. Karen was a dedicated and trusted salesperson, who developed wonderful relationships with her customers and was always on the highest tier of sales of food products for local restaurants and organizations up and down the Shenandoah Valley. Karen will be remembered by them for the dedication, spunk, knowledge and relationships that she maintained in the food industry. Her clients were like family to her and the same was reciprocated.

Karen had exquisite taste and was an Interior Designer in her early years, but her forte was sales.

Karen enjoyed family travels and vacations, including: The Homestead, Greenbrier, The Tides Inn, Mackinac Island (Michigan), where Burns and she became engaged, and trips worldwide. She significantly cherished the family’s annual Christmas vacations to the Caribbean, where Karen and Burns (“The Kranks”), as well as the kids, adored the sunshine and beach. Karen’s “happy place” was floating on her orange and white raft in the calm waters of Palm Beach in Aruba. Whether at the beach or amongst the mountains, Karen treasured a sunset. Karen cherished her many friends, particularly regular dinner outings with close friends, who were all “foodies” and enjoyed a good cocktail as she did. She also enjoyed neighborhood walks and tossing the ball to their family dog, Henry.

Karen was a member of Junior Women’s Club and First Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg, VA. Karen will be remembered for her radiant beauty, style, taste, sense of humor (for which she and Burns had a knack for sarcasm), and dedication to work and family. Burns and Karen were both middle children and grew up on farms. However, farm life convinced Karen to become a pescatarian (rather than vegetarian because she loved fish). Karen was an enthusiastic supporter of Virginia Tech with her husband and family. She enjoyed the Hokies with season tickets for the past 32-straight years, attending many bowl games through the years.

Beautiful, slim, and active, Karen enjoyed excellent health all of her life, until January 2025 when diagnosed with ALS, (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease). ALS aggressively took Karen from us much too early in her life.

A Celebration of her life will be held at Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg, VA on January 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. A friends and family gathering will be held prior to the service. A reception announcement will be made at the celebration of her life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the ALS Association.

We recently learned Karen Netzloff-Earle class of 1983 died after a brief illness in Virginia. She is survived by her husband J. Burns Earle III, son John and daughter Sarah.

We will add information as we receive it. January 17, 2026

Our thanks to Natalie Alder Hool class of 1984 for notification.

From Karen's sister Laurie Netzloff Adams class of 1980:

"Karen’s Memorial/Celebration of Life will be on 1-24-26 at 2:00 p.m. at Kyger Funeral Home at 3173 Spotswood Trail, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. We are working on other details."

Published December 21, 1975 Lansing State Journal