October 23, 1969 – September 5, 2021

Karri was born at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe to Ed Brauner and Lorna (Ream) Brauner, and departed this life in Meridian, Idaho, surrounded by her family and in the arms of her husband and twin sister. She attended Tahoe Valley Elementary School, then moved with her mother and sisters to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She and her sisters spent a lot of time outdoors riding bikes, camping, and playing in the “Junior House” built by their grandpa, Jerry Ream. Karri was a cheerleader at Coeur d’Alene High School, and graduated in 1987. After graduation she spent a year back in South Lake Tahoe with her father and step-mother, where she worked at Camp Richardson Marina in the summer and Heavenly Ski Resort in the winter. Karri then moved back to Idaho where she attended North Idaho College, then the University of Idaho, joining the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Around the time of her college graduation in 1992, she learned of a profession that called her—school psychology. This led her to studying Educational Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Masters Degree. She then received her Educational Psychology credential at Cal State, Hayward, and began her career as a school psychologist in Vallejo, California.
It was in her graduate school years that Karri met the love of her life, Jeff Townsend, and they were married in June of 1996. Over the next six years, they welcomed their three children Ethan, Lauren and Seth into this world.
As their children grew, they decided to move from Vallejo to Meridian, Idaho, where she worked as a school psychologist for the Kuna School District for over a decade. While there, she touched the lives of countless students and families.
Late in 2017, Karri started to have some puzzling and concerning symptoms. This led her down an unexpected and harrowing path to a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). She fought this condition bravely, even finding ways to help others, including participating in a clinical trial for a new ALS treatment, and providing professional and personal support to others from her couch when she was no longer able to do so physically. She maintained a great sense of humor and an amazingly positive outlook on life throughout this difficult battle, supported by her family, friends, and her faith in God and in Jesus Christ as her savior.
Karri is survived by her husband, Jeff and her children, Ethan, Lauren and Seth. She is also survived by her mother, Lorna Wasson of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; father and step mother Ed and Diane Brauner of South Lake Tahoe; her twin sister Kelli Ketlinski (Ty) of Meridian, and sister Laura Sutherland (Scott) of Coeur d’Alene; step brothers David Howe (Jill) of Gardnerville, NV, Michael Howe (Christine) of Dayton, NV; Mitchell Wasson (Tammy), Mark Wasson, and step sister Tracy Ross (Karl); and by numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her grandparents Gerald and Karen Ream, Edwin and Martha Brauner, and step-father Eugene Wasson.
God speed, Karri, until we meet again. We love you.