Twyla Karnis

Twyla (Busse) Karnis was born on August 22, 1934 in St. Cloud, MN to Harmon and Evalyn (Boyd) Busse. She was raised in St. Cloud where she graduated from St Cloud Tech. After school, she worked as a telephone operator and also at Busse?s Truck Stop in the restaurant. Twyla married Charles E. Marx in 1956 and they moved to Jamestown, North Dakota, where they raised four children. The marriage ended and Twyla moved to Moorhead to finish raising the kids. She wanted to live near the lakes, and moved to live on Lake Latoka in the 1980?s. She met Gene Karnis in 1985, and they were married on April 3, 1987 at the Congregational Church in Alexandria. In Alexandria, they lived for eight years in Victoria Heights, ten years on Lake Burgen, and then moved to their current home in the Pines. Twyla worked at Vernon Studios and Pete?s County Market in her early years in Alexandria. She loved trading in antiques and operated booths at four antique malls in Alexandria throughout her life. Twyla had many interests and liked to try new things. Cooking was second nature to her, and she loved to try new creations. She made excellent dishes with close attention to detail, and was known for huge meals for family gatherings. Her cooking won awards at the Douglas County Fair, including a Grand Prize one year. She loved photography and portrait making, and also liked to sketch and paint pictures. Birds, nature and fishing were her loves at their lake home. In her middle years, she greatly enjoyed dancing, playing 500, and going to the casino to play blackjack. She and Gene travelled extensively in those years and visited the Holy Land, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Hawaii and other destinations. She loved golfing and often combined golfing with a nature walk. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family, especially with her husband, Gene. Twyla passed on Friday, May 23, 2014 at the age of seventy-nine. She is survived by her husband, Gene Karnis of Alexandria, sons Louis Marx of Inver Grove Heights, MN, and Gary Marx and wife Tammy of Moorhead, MN; daughters Rebecca Leavens, and husband Ben, of Joplin, MO, and Constance Barthel of St. Cloud, MN; eighteen grand children; and ten great grandchildren. The funeral service was held Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Ben Leavens was the officiant. Honorary pallbearers included Tom Marx, Maki Camell, Adam Leavens, Zane Leavens, and Nichole Hopper.