Fun facts about Karen Earhuff, Church Office Coordinator
When did you start working at GDLC?
I started to work here in February of 2008, I have been here over 10 years.
What church are you a member of, and how long have you been a member there?
I am a member of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Roseville. I joined there in 2010. I was baptized and confirmed Lutheran but had not attended church for many years until I started to work at Gloria Dei, and then felt a strong desire to come back to church.
What are the main tasks you do at GdLC?
I prepare and print the Sunday bulletins, parish announcements and the prayer list (all of the printed material that you receive in worship on Sunday). I take phone calls and greet people when they come in the church office. I schedule baptisms & meetings that are held in the church. I send the mail & information about what is happening at church to our home-bound members, who can’t always get to church to participate in person. Offer support and assistance to all of the other staff members.
What are some of the other places you’ve worked in your life?
My very first job, while I was still in high school was polishing silverware at the St. Paul Hotel.
I started working as a telephone operator with Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1973. I worked as a Service Representative in the business office at the phone company and became a manager in 1976. I had various supervisory jobs over the years. My last job before retiring in 2004 was supervising all of the installers and repair technicians who installed, repaired and collected the money out of pay-phones. Our jobs were eliminated because the pay phone division was being sold. Cell phones were in such high use, and pay phones were coming out faster than being installed. I retired from the phone company in 2004 with almost 32 years of service.
I also worked as an Administrator at Bradshaw Funeral Home for about 3 years before I started here at Gloria Dei.
What kinds of activities were you involved in middle school and high school?
I remember getting involved in politics and working for some of the local candidates in high school.
Tell us about your favorite time of year and how you make it special:
My favorite time of the year is Christmas. I start my Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, because I would never get it all done if I waited. Every room in my home is decorated. I have five trees that I put up: four of them are smaller trees that sit on a table or a desk, but my big tree has about 650 ornaments on it. It takes about a day and a half to get that tree decorated. I have items on my tree that I made in Sunday school. I have things that have been handed down from my mother and my mother-in-law, and other family members. Almost all of the ornaments have a history behind them that makes them special. I enjoy sharing my decorated home with friends and family. People have commented that my house looks like a Winter Wonderland, or that they feel they have walked into a Christmas Boutique. My mom did lots of decorating when we were growing up, so it makes me very sentimental for my childhood memories of Christmas. I also like to watch Vintage Classic Christmas Movies, I have them playing in the background, especially when I am decorating the tree, but pretty much whenever I can through the season. My favorites are: It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas in Connecticut.
We are thankful for you, Karen!
