Karen Lee Newman Rood was born January 6, 1942 in Moorehouse Hospital, Dundy County, Benkelman, Nebraska to Alvin Purl Newman and Ruth Rose Bunning Newman. She passed from this life on June 30, 2018 at Premier Estates Assisted Living in North Platte, NE surrounded by her family and Angels on Earth at the age of 76. She was the oldest of 3 children; at the age of 3 ½ the family moved to the mountains near Jackson Hole, WY where she enjoyed riding horses, hunting rattle snakes with her brother and playing. Some of her fondest memories of this period of her life were being driven to school by team and wagon, watching her dad ride in rodeos and attending Sunday services at a little log church with picnics to follow at Yellowstone National Park. At the age of 10, the family returned to McCook, Nebraska and it was here that she attended Jr. High and High School. In 1957 she met and married Robert Duane Wyman and to this union five children were born. They lived in the south central Nebraska area until the children grew and in 1976 they divorced. For most of her adult life she worked in the medical field caring for others, in 1991 she graduated from Mid-Plains Community College with her Licensed Practical Nursing degree and enjoyed being a caregiver until the age of 72. If everyone that Karen touched reached out to the person on either side, the circle would be big enough to go around the world. In 1991 she moved to Broken Bow, NE. She met and married Richard Rood in 1997 and they divorced in 1999.  In 2014 she moved to North Platte, NE to be closer to family due to failing health. She is survived by three sons; Craig Wyman of Gothenburg, NE; Randy Wyman of Whitewater, KS; Todd Wyman of Coeur D Alene, ID; two daughters Nancy (Roger) Robinson of North Platte, NE; and Cindy Burg of Lincoln, NE. 11 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. Sisters Velva (Les) Hall of Broomfield, CO; Carolyn Webb of Livingston, TX; Carol (Darrell) Goodner of Broken Bow, NE, and brothers Timothy Parker of Albion, NE; David Parker of North Platte, NE; and Steve Parker of Lincoln, NE along with many nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard Rood of Broken Bow, NE; her father Alvin Purl Newman of Funk, NE; her mother Ruth Rose (Bunning) of Broken Bow, NE; a special mother Velma Marie Newman of Commerce City, CO; a brother James Alvin Newman of Stamford; a sister Rita Jean Looney of Atlanta, NE; a sister-in-law Karen Rae Newman of Stamford, NE; a brother-in-law Kirk Looney of Atlanta, NE; a daughter-in-law Donna Wyman of Lexington, NE; a daughter-in-law Phyllis Wyman of Whitewater, KS and a granddaughter Angie Schade of Kearney, NE.
Services will be 10:00 a.m. CT Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel with Chaplain Richard Karr officiating.  Burial will be 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday at the Benkelman Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 6pm to 8pm Friday at Carpenter Memorial Chapel, which is in care of arrangements.  Online condolences may be shared at www.carpentermemorial.com