Karl Karlin

Karl V. Karlin went to his heavenly home on September 11, 2020.

He was born on October 15, 1934 in Wellington, Kansas to Merle and Evelyn Karlin.  He was one of eight children.  Karl graduated from Wellington High School in 1952.  He started his work career with the Santa Fe Railroad as a brakeman.  In 1954, he met and married Rae Herard in Ponca City, Oklahoma.  They were married for almost 66 years.  This is where the adventures in Karl’s life began.

He and Rae decided to move to Borger, Texas for Phillips Petroleum Company was hiring.  Karl started as a draftsman soon after.  Children started to arrive, Michael Wayne in 1955, Karla Rae in 1957, Jean Marie in 1958 and Julie Ann in 1966.  Karl decided to further his education by taking night classes at Frank Phillips College to help his career at Phillips 66.  He worked hard to become a petroleum engineer.

As life goes, more adventures came along.  He started playing golf and became a scratch golfer in 1956.  He was also the secretary-treasurer of Phillips Golf Course for 19 years.  He became good friends with Dick Clark, the golf pro at the club.  He enjoyed playing the game of golf the rest of his life.

Next adventure to come was snow skiing, thanks to his friend Frank Bassett.  He skied extensively in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and California with friends and family.  Karl also skied overseas in Norway, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland.  He was a natural on the ski slopes.

His love of outdoors was a lifelong adventure to come next.  It started with the Boy Scouts and becoming a scout leader for his son, Mike.  Backpacking and camping became a passion with the scouts, friends, and family.  Philmont Scout Camp, M.K. Brown, Bachelor’s Loop, Roman
Nose State Park, Clear Creek Falls, and Pulpit Rock were just a few of the destinations to hike and camp.

Karl also had a passion for the Texas Longhorns.  He attended the Texas-OU rivalry games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas for 19 years.  He would travel to Austin and Lubbock to watch the Longhorns play.  He bled burnt orange and white.

The most exciting and fun adventure was when Karl was transferred to Norway in 1977 with Phillips 66.  He worked off shore on the Ecofisk Project out in the North Sea.  He learned to speak fluent Norwegian and loved everything about his adopted country of Norway.  He and Rae made lifelong friends that they would meet overseas, Tor and Solveig Dalene, Bonnie and Billy Jueschke, Bernt and Evy Henriksen, Alta and George Tevebaugh and many more.  They have kept in touch through the years.

Next adventure continued when Karl was transferred back to the United States.  His job with Phillips 66 moved him to Houston, Missouri City, Texas, Hobbs, New Mexico, and West Columbia, Texas.  He made more lifetime friends working with Dan Roddy and others.  After 40 plus years his work career was coming to a close.  Retirement became the last adventure and the most rewarding.  Karl and Rae built a home in Creede, Colorado.  A log cabin for family to enjoy as much as they did.  More friends entered their lives both new and old.  The newest one was Randy Wood.  What a character!  Randy was the most helpful starting off and remained a super, great friend to this day.  This also included Frank and Mary Lou Bassett, Leonard and Roberta Schwind, Doc and Ali, Francis and Pat Schwind and so many, many more.

Karl had lots of adventures in Creede.  He was a member of the B.P.O.E. Elks and became a bingo caller at the Community Center every Monday night for years.  It was something he enjoyed so, so much.  Breakfast on the mountain, morning coffee in town with his buddies, visiting with neighbors at Bristol Head, 4th of July parade each year and the exciting cookout at Randy’s house were also favorites. Karl packed his 85 years to the fullest of amazing adventures and was blessed with so many friends throughout his life.   He will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him.

Karl was preceded by his parents, brothers Jim and Bud, sister, Vivian and grandsons, Joshua and Jarrod, great-granddaughter, Faith, and son-in-law Dale Florer.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Rae, son Mike Karlin and family, daughters, Karla Florer and family, Jean Rose and Family, Julie Espinoza and family, brothers Leo, Bob, John and a sister Virginia.  Nine Grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.  Wayne Sanders, who Karl attended Frank Phillips College basketball games with.

Karl requested no services.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation in Karl’s name to the American Heart Association.

The family wanted to leave this message with you that Karl always said:  “There is always room for dessert!”