Karen Ann Archibald

Karen A. Archibald, age 83, passed away peacefully at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, following a courageous battle with breast cancer and the complications of chemotherapy-related neuropathy.

Karen lived her life with quiet strength, resilience, and grace. She met both joy and hardship with steadiness, dignity, and an unwavering love for her family. Even in the face of illness, her spirit remained strong and her heart remained generous.

Karen grew up as the youngest of five children born to Earl and Mina Archibald in Bay Lake Township, where the family lived on acreage along the shores of Knieff Lake in a home built by her father with the help of friends. Life required hard work—growing and canning food, chopping wood for heat—but Sundays were reserved for gathering with family and friends, sharing meals, relaxing, visiting, and playing games outdoors.

Karen attended school at Crosby-Ironton and married Robert Stinson of Bay Lake Township. Together they had three children. The family moved to Duluth, where Karen worked in the food industry. After a divorce, she relocated with her children to Wyoming, spent several years in Colorado Springs, and eventually returned to Minnesota.

Karen later made her home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, where she shared her life with her husband, Robert Kretlow. Together they built a partnership with Karen often assisting Bob in his business—a reflection of her enduring commitment to those she loved.

Karen is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Pexton, and husband Randy of Wyoming; her sons, Nick Allen Stinson, retired US Marine of Brainerd and Michael Todd Stinson of Coon Rapids; her grandchildren Jessica (Pexton) and Brennan Pokoyoway of Canada, along with their children, Breklan and Elora; her grandson Sean Pexton and his wife Lauren of South Carolina; and her granddaughter Melodie Stinson of Coon Rapids. Her family was the center of her world, and her love will continue to be felt in countless ways.

Karen will be remembered for her strength, her kindness, and the quiet way she cared deeply for those around her. Her legacy lives on through the family she loved so dearly.

Services will be held at Koop Funeral Home on January 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Bay Lake Cemetery. A reception will follow at they Myrin-James American Legion Post in Ironton.