Karen Kramp of Ellinwood will celebrate her 80th birthday on Aug. 5, with an Open House from 2-5 p.m. at the Historic Wolf Hotel, one North Main in Ellinwood (south door). Hosts for the event will be her children, Mike and Debra (Brockel) Gatton, Ellinwood, Pat and Sharon Gatton, Ellinwood, and Jolene and Tom Snell, Ellinwood, and stepchildren Shannon and Ben Richardson, Salina, Diane and Dean Becker, Seneca, Kevin and Julie Kramp, Great Bend, Donna Goode, Kansas City, Mo., Zane and Jeff Jackson, Hutchinson, Kyle and Diane Kramp, Parkville, Mo. and Kaylene and Phil Collins, Kansas City, Mo. She has 24 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Karen was born Aug. 6, 1938, in Great Bend, to Curtis and Alma (Brensing) Spangenberg. She grew up north of Hudson on the family farm. On June 15, 1957 Karen married Leland R. Gatton. They farmed south of Ellinwood and raised three children. Leland died Sept. 12, 1978. In 1979, Karen and Jolene moved to Ellinwood when Karen began working as a bank teller for Peoples State Bank. On March 3, 1984 Karen married Roger Kramp. They lived on his family farm north of Ellinwood until 1997 when he retired and they moved to Ellinwood. Roger died July 27, 2000.