Dr. Karl Van Etten died at Longmont United Hospital hospice March 20, 2024 of congestive heart failure and complications from Parkinson’s. Karl was born in Honolulu January 31, 1939, and spent much of his childhood years in idyllic Lanikai. After graduation from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Karl attended Stanford University. He was not happy at Stanford and abruptly joined the Marines after his sophomore year. Honorably discharged after three years of service, he attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he completed his undergraduate degree with a psychology major. At UH, Karl was a competitive runner setting records in hurdling, and also appeared in theatre productions. Prior to graduate school he wanted to explore Scandinavia and spent some time in Copenhagen and in Oslo, where he found the courage to audition for a theatre production at Oslo University, and met his future wife Anne. He is likely the only man born in Hawaii who has performed on the stage of “Det Norske Teater!” Karl went on to earn a Teaching Certificate at the University of Minnesota and married Anne in Minneapolis in 1967. Returned to Hawaii, he taught social studies and served as Athletic Director and assistant Head Master at Mid Pacific Institute in Honolulu from 1967 to 1973. Karl and Anne with their toddler son Lars left Hawaii for two challenging years of graduate school in Boston, where Karl earned an MBA at Northeastern University, and Anne an MM at New England Conservatory. Karl was hired by the Colorado based company I.H.S. and, based in Frankfurt, Germany, worked as an international marketing manager until he was called back to Colorado.
Karl was a born teacher at heart and returned to teaching in 1986 at the Community College of Aurora, where he chaired and taught business courses and served as Dean of Instruction.
During his CCA years he earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Karl cared deeply about his Aurora community and participated for many years in the Citizens’ Advisory Budget Committee of the City of Aurora, that earned him an “Amazing Auroran” honor. In 2000 Aurora Mayor Paul Tauer appointed Karl to serve on the Lowry Economic Redevelopment Board of Directors, where he remained until his retirement from CCA in 2006. Karl was a dedicated member of Rotary and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International. He coached young soccer players, and enjoyed volunteer teaching reading and math to fourth graders at Montview Elementary school. Karl had many diverse interests and enjoyed classical music, opera and theatre, sports, history and politics. He and Anne were avid mountain hikers and together they conquered several Colorado fourteeners. Late in life Karl took up running again and ran in three “Bolder Boulder” races as well as in many charity races for “Hope House” and “Jodi’s Race”, where he placed third in the 70+ age group at age 77. Throughout his life Karl lived by his island cultural heritage of modesty, kindness and tolerance. He loved his family and began but never completed writing a family history.
Karl is survived by his wife Anne, son Dr. Lars Van Etten, grandsons Keldan and Sandis, great granddaughter Elana, brothers Alan and Peter Van Etten and sister Jean Speidel, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Friends are invited to attend a “Celebration of Life” reception Sunday, April 28, 2:00pm at Horan & McConaty Mortuary, 11150 E. Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora.