Karla M. Tuttle, 63, of Arlington, died Tuesday, May 23, 2017, surrounded by her loving family, at her home in Arlington, under hospice care, following a 17-year battle with cancer.
Memorial services are at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Arlington. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Karla Myrtle Josephsen was born on May 2, 1954, in Volga, the daughter of Joseph Marvin and Myrtle (Meisel) Josephsen, the youngest of six children. She grew up on the family farm in rural Arlington and attended country school through fifth grade, before attending school in Arlington. She graduated from Arlington High School in 1972. She was actively involved in band, where she played the flute, which took her to Winnipeg and Europe. She then attended Atlantic Mountain Flight Attendant Academy in Kansas City, Kan. She moved to Arlington and began her career at 3M in Brookings, where she held many positions, spending a majority of her time in Shipping and Receiving. She retired after 37 years of employment.
She married Curtis Tuttle on Aug. 3, 1973, in Arlington. They had four children, Ryan, Angela, Jason and Jennifer.
Karla’s true love in life was spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She enjoyed golfing, quilting, sewing and attending sporting events. She loved the many family vacations she took with her family over the years, taking them to Minneapolis to watch the Twins and Vikings, ski trips to Colorado, golf trips to Arizona with Curt and friends, and many other family vacation destinations. She was an avid fan of Jackrabbit athletics, holding season tickets for basketball and football. She enjoyed her shopping trips with her family and friends.
She had a heart of gold, always giving her talents for others to enjoy. She would make costumes, quilts and her lemon and chocolate chip cookies for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. Karla started the Backpack Lunch Program in the Arlington School District, and put in many hours to ensure that no child would go hungry over the weekends.
She is survived by her husband, Curt Tuttle of Arlington; two sons, Ryan (Kristin) Tuttle, of Harrisburg and Jason (Heather) Tuttle of Victoria, Minn.; a daughter, Jennifer Tuttle of Sioux Falls; four grandchildren; three brothers, Dale (Dee) Josephsen, of Arlington, Dennis (Cindy) Josephsen of Brookings and David (Karen) Josephsen, of ArlingtonD; two sisters, Kathy Nielsen of Arlington and Karen (Rolly) Vostad of Volga and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Angela Tuttle and her parents, Joseph Marvin and Myrtle.
Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.
