Karen Alis Zimmerman of Houston, Texas, was surrounded by family when she went to be with her Lord on March 26, 2026.

She was born on December 2, 1957 in Montgomery, Alabama to LTC Robert Edward Zimmerman and Mary Ruth Thomas. Her biological father was the late Alan George Bennett of Fort Collins, Colorado.

She is survived by two sisters: Kristin Zimmerman of Sun City, Arizona, and Teresa Zimmerman of Coral Springs, Florida; five children, Christopher Stevenson (Elaine Pelton) of Washington, DC, Suzanne Stevenson (Neil Gutierrez) of Bryan, Texas; Erica Lambright (Keith) of Huntsville, Texas, Robert Reinitz (Katie) of Cayce, South Carolina, and Alexandra Jones (Ben) of Portland, Oregon, and five grandchildren, Mason Stevenson, Sarabelle Stevenson; Levi James, Kayla Lambright, and Kaylin Lambright; Isabella Lail, Corinthian Reinitz, and Madison Reinitz.

She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Eric Edward Zimmerman, and spouses Abraham Joel Stevenson and Eric Michael Reinitz.

Most people who knew Karen thought she was a complete badass, and if you gave her time, she would prove you right. She loved enjoying life and was known to be the life of the party. People admired her upbeat attitude and positive outlook. That said, she lived as a woman with strong opinions and rarely suffered fools.

An adventurer, she loved horror movies, rollercoasters (especially scary ones), and she participated in bungee-jumping when it was popular. She loved Harley-Davidson motorcycles and high performance sports cars. She loved traveling across the country with the wind blowing through her hair. Every day was an opportunity to try something new.

She loved tattoos and had many of them including one dedicated to Harley-Davidson.

She loved animals, making it her vocation, and often fostered animals, including opossums for a time.

She loved music. She was a fan of blues rock, Southern rock, country, and RnB. She especially loved gospel music.

A competitive gymnast in middle and high school, personal fitness was a priority for her, and she regularly went to the gym, and very rarely ate red meat.

The daughter of an Air Force officer, as a child when she didn’t live in the US, she lived in Paraguay and Iran. She spoke English, Spanish, German, and Farsi.

For secondary school, she attended Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria, Virginia, where she was known to hang out at Mallison’s, and she graduated from the Tehran American School in Tehran, Iran.

As an adult, she loved to travel and lived in Tehran, Iran; Pfullendorf, Germany; Salgareda, Italy; Eatontown, New Jersey; Leonardtown, Maryland; All over Florida; Valdosta, Georgia; Opelika and Auburn, Alabama; Wampum, Pennsylvania; and Killeen, Bryan-College Station, and Houston, Texas.

She graduated from St. Petersburg College with a degree in Veterinary Technology. With her education, she worked in animal hospitals, and in labs practicing animal husbandry, and sexing technology--specializing in bovines and dolphins. She was a national board member of the North American Veterinary Technician Association.

She held a few other jobs too, including bus driver. 

A lifelong student in addition to Veterinary Technology she studied police science, fire science, welding, and she had her CDL-Hazmat. 

She loved firearms, especially pistols, and was a proud member of the NRA and TSNRA.

In her 30s, Billy Graham convinced her to become born again, washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ. She identified as a Baptist. She was an avid listener of The Message.

She spent her final days listening to all the gospel classics, and also to her favorite secular music. Notably, she danced as hard as she could to Give Me the Night by George Benson and took her last breath listening to Time, Love, and Tenderness by Michael Bolton.

She was a lifelong Republican.

Openly in recovery, you could often hear Karen recite The Serenity Prayer and she was a strong supporter of faith-based programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

The family gives special thanks to the doctors and nurses at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital.

There will be a family-only gathering. In her honor, donate to a charity of your choice that you think best reflects Karen’s life.