Karen succumbed to a rapidly progressing metastatic cancer on July 19, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills.

Karen Ellen Kellogg was born on June 10, 1963, at UCLA Medical Center to parents Charles Haskell Kellogg, a computer scientist, and Mary Agnes Cooper Kellogg, a teacher. Back home in Canoga Park, Grandma Cooper of Independence, Missouri, cared for Karen’s 2½-year-old brother, Charlie, while family in Orlando, Florida, eagerly awaited news of her arrival.

Religion played a big part in her close-knit family’s life. Her father and mother met at Westwood United Methodist Church in California. All four members of the family were founding members of the Canoga Park congregation of the Community of Christ.

The family enjoyed many Saturday and weekend trips to the natural beauty of California’s parks, beaches, and historical areas. Backpacking in the High Sierra became a special interest and destination.

Karen attended Woodland Hills Parents’ Cooperative Nursery School, Nevada Avenue Elementary School, Columbus Junior High, and Chatsworth High School, where she lettered in track and cross-country. She was voted the “most respected girl” on her team.

As a junior high school student, Karen became a Candy Striper at a local retirement facility through the Orioles, a Community of Christ church girls’ program, and was voted the most successful in manner and care.

Karen attended Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa; Pierce College in Woodland Hills; and California State University, Northridge, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. She taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District in many different roles and areas for 33 years.

As Karen expressed it, our family unit was a team: Dad, who died in 2022; Mom; Charlie; and Karen — THE KELLOGG TEAM — through thick and thin. Karen and Mary shared a special, strong mother-daughter bond for 63 years, built on love, trust, and an agreement to honor their disagreements without allowing them to cloud their relationship.

Karen attended Church on the Way in Van Nuys and found its theology very relevant and satisfying. She participated actively in many different ministries and programs. She traveled with groups to Mexico, Peru, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea, and led a group serving the Hopi in Arizona.

Karen served as a chaplain with the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s Juvenile Halls and Camps, and as a member and facilitator of Cleansing Stream. She participated in after-school clubs, the Sunday medical team, and many other ministries and programs. She devoted her life to others.

Karen’s language was prayer and LOVE. She will be missed.

A memorial and Celebration of Life is set for September 26, 2026, at 1:00 PM at The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California. PLEASE RSVP TO kkelloggangel@gmail.com with the number of people in your party.

For information about the memorial and a scholarship program we are working on, contact kkelloggangel@gmail.com