Karen Trydahl

Karen Irene Trydahl, age 88, of Los Gatos, CA, passed away on March 17, 2026, at The Terraces of Los Gatos in Los Gatos, CA.

Karen was born in 1937 in Thompson, North Dakota, to George, a mechanic, and Gladys (Morrow), a homemaker, and grew up as an only child.

Karen began learning to play the piano at the age of seven. By the time she was a teenager, she was the sought-after soloist for most events offered by local civic organizations in the Thompson area.

Karen enjoyed spending summers in her father's shop, helping him work on cars and farm equipment engines. She pumped gas, checked oil, and eventually learned to fix a specific mechanical problem. Her job was often to “find the baler” under all the gunk and grease.

Karen’s mother was active in the leadership of the United Methodist Women. When traveling in that capacity, she collected small ceramic cats for Karen. Over the years Karen accumulated two shoe boxes full of these little figurines – a fitting precursor of her love for cats in later life.

Karen was co-valedictorian with a fellow student in her high school class of seven students. Her school had five classrooms and taught all the children between first and twelfth grades. From the tiny school in Thompson, Karen proceeded to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Although Grand Forks was not far from Thompson, Karen lived on campus because the roads were often impassable in the winter months. Karen studied music in college. She also declared a minor in mathematics to the chagrin of some school leaders who thought it was unseemly for a woman to be a mathematician. However, this proved to be a saving grace.

After graduation, Karen’s math minor helped her stand out among fresh music teachers, and she was hired to teach both music and math. After teaching for two years, Karen moved to Minneapolis in search of a new career. She had interviews with a few advertising agencies, passed a programming aptitude test, and was hired by Control Data Corporation (CDC) in 1961 to begin her career as a computer programmer.

Soon after starting her job, CDC expanded into California, and Karen drove herself to California in her new car, defying the moving personnel who had insisted that she fly simply because she was a woman! She enjoyed a successful 30-year career at CDC, forming lifelong friendships and even working on a year-long project in Zurich, Switzerland.

After retiring from Control Data, Karen continued her work life with varied jobs. She got H&R Block tax preparation training, then worked with H&R Block for a couple of tax seasons. She also took bookkeeping training at Heald Business College, then got a bookkeeping job at California Ferns, where she became good friends with the owners and workers. She also had software test jobs with McKesson and Portera.

Karen was an accomplished musician whose love of music continued throughout her life. She studied classical piano for years with renowned pianist Madame Sari Biro. She was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity since her college days. Karen was the accompanist for the Foster City Community Chorus for many years and travelled with them to perform on stage at Carnegie Hall. At The Terraces of Los Gatos, her last place of residence, Karen played piano for the chorus and served as the group’s leader when needed.

Cat-lover Karen adopted her first pair of feline "children" after her retirement from CDC. These cats won her heart and were her family. Karen was never without a feline companion until she moved to skilled nursing, where cats were not allowed. Karen loved being a catmom and each of her kitties dearly loved her! She developed quite the reputation as a “Cat Lady!”

Karen was a lifelong Methodist. She was a member of the Cambrian Park United Methodist Church for many years, where she supported the church as music director, pianist, organist, financial secretary, choir member, and participated in the United Methodist Women group. Beyond her church activities, Karen was active in supporting the community. For 17 years, Karen and a friend delivered monthly groceries to homebound low-income HIV+ and AIDS clients.

Karen was a cherished friend to many. She was kind and generous with her time and wisdom, and she was witty and amusing. She had the biggest smile, and when something struck her as funny, she would break out in peals of laughter. Karen will be deeply missed and forever remembered by those who knew and loved her.

A memorial service will be held on May 9, 2026, at 1:30pm at Growing Hope United Methodist Church (formerly Almaden Hills United Methodist Church), 1200 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, CA 95118. (Note: The church sign may still display the former name.)
 A graveside service will be held at Thompson Cemetery in Thompson, North Dakota at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Dancing Cat, 702 E. Julian St, San Jose, CA 95112 (https://www.thedancingcat.org), or the Parkinson’s Foundation (https://The Parkinson's Foundation).