Karen M. Ilstrup Obituary (1951 - 2016)

Karen M. Ilstrup, 65, Wayzata, the morning of Sunday, October 16, 2016 suddenly and peacefully in her sleep while visiting family in Houston, TX. Karen was born January 11, 1951, in Minneapolis, MN and was a lifelong resident of the Twin Cities. She grew up in St. Louis Park, lived in Uptown and has resided in Wayzata for the past 32 years. A graduate of St. Louis Park High School in the class of 1969, Karen also attended Macalester College, Florida State University and the University of Minnesota. She has Bachelors, Masters and Law degrees from the University of Minnesota. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Allan Collins; her step-daughter Jenna Collins-Akgul (Deniz), London, England and step-son Daniel Cohen (Romina), Houston, TX; her grandchildren Lily and Rose Akgul and Jacob and Olivia Cohen; her sister Nancy Ilstrup Prelesnik and brother-in-law Warren Prelesnik, Spring Lake, MI; her nieces Joanna Prelesnik Wessel, Grand Haven, MI and Angela Prelesnik Allen, Chicago, IL and 5 grand-nieces and nephews; Sakina Naqvi, Minneapolis, MN and the Naqvi family; many aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws, throughout Minnesota and beyond including Ilstrups, Nelsons, Petersons, and Bengstons. She is preceded in death by her parents John A. Ilstrup and Audrey Peterson Ilstrup and her brother John A. Ilstrup, Jr. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, October 19, at Lakewood Cemetery at 3600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN. In lieu of flowers, contributions and memorials in memory of Karen are preferred to "the family of Karen Ilstrup" to be placed in trust for her grandchildren's education.