Karen Elizabeth Grego

Karen Elizabeth Grego

June 4, 1946 – January 20, 2023

Karen Grego of Galt, California passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family at the age of 76 in the early morning hours of January 20, 2023 after a long and courageous battle with complications from Dementia / Alzheimer’s disease.

A native of Yuba City, California. Karen was born on June 4, 1946, the eldest child of David and Ida Slack. Karen attended Park Avenue Grammar School. After Karen, and her family survived the December 1955 Feather River levee break, and the flood of their Yuba City home the family relocated to Del Paso Heights in North Sacramento, California in 1958. Karen graduated from Norte Del Rio High School in 1964

Upon graduating Karen began her work career at the Pacific Bell Telephone Company at the Watt Avenue office in Sacramento, CA. In 1966, she joined Travis & Rarick Medical Group a prominent family medicine group practicing in North Highlands, CA. as back office manager.

As she developed her administrative skills, she began to gain interest in warehouse distribution and logistics management. In 1969 She joined the Thomson-Digg’s Wholesale Hardware Company in downtown Sacramento. In March of 1977 she began her beverage distribution operations career by joining Markstein Beverage Company of Sacramento where she became Director of Administrative Services & Operations. At the end of 1985 Karen married the love of her life Peter, who also worked in sales at Markstein Beverage Company of Sacramento.

In summer of 1991 Karen and her husband relocated to Pueblo, Colorado to pursue their interest to start-up a new business venture in the emerging mail & packaging services space. In October 1992 they opened A.S.A.P. Copy & Parcel Service. After almost four years of running the business, both her and her husband decided to return to Sacramento to live and take care of their aging/ailing parents.

Karen joined Nor-Cal Beverage Company, Inc. in the summer of 1995 as a branch administrative manager. In October 1998 she was promoted to the Corporate Office as the first corporate project manager for the company reporting directly to the chief operating officer. She created new administrative processes and procedures. Led the set-up, configuration and implementation training for field sales and delivery handheld technology. Implemented the first automated phone system. Created and developed a new position of Data Integrity. She played an instrumental role in branch consolidation in early 2000. Help select and implement the company’s first Warehouse Management System software program. Finally her role as Logistics Manager at the Distribution Center in West Sacramento, CA.

In February of 2010 Karen retired to enjoy more time with her family and her two beautiful dogs Chevy and Boo Boo. She enjoyed camping and recreating with friends and family at Dhillon’s Beach, Cisco Grove, and Lake Tahoe areas. She had a love for motorsports, and never a more proud moment for Karen as a mother to watch her son Bryon win the NHRA West Central Division Drag Racing Championship at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colorado in 1996.  In addition, watching him race at Sacramento and Sonoma Raceway’s. In later years she enjoyed watching him racing his stock car at All-American Speedway in Roseville, and Stockton-99 Speedway. 

Karen is survived by her loving husband Peter Grego, sister in-law Sharon Grego, son Bryon Tommeraason and fiancé Leslie Freeman, sister Frances Henson and brother in-law Royce Henson along with niece Lisa Ausmus and wife Christie Ausmus, nephew Michael Ausmus and wife Zeyda, great nieces Ella, Joshua, and Katie Ausmus, grand children Daniel, Jonathan, and Khristy Hansen.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Aid Society of Northern California www.alzaid.org 2641 Cottage Way Suite-4 Sacramento, CA. 95825.

The Grego family would also like to thank Karen’s medical team of: Dr. Andrew G. Hudnut of Sutter Medical Health in Elk Grove, Ca. and Dr. Shawn J. Kile of Sutter Medical Neurological Health who cared for Karen during the diagnosis and on-set of her memory loss disease journey.

In addition, Dr. James K. Saffier and the professional ICU/ACC medical teams and staff at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, CA. for tirelessly attempting to get Karen to recover.

Finally, we wish to thank the Sutter Health Care at Home HOSPICE Team for their professionalism and dignity displayed during the palliative comfort care process as Karen reached her end of life at home.

A private family memorial service and interment will be held at East Lawn Mortuary, Sierra Hills Memorial Park 5757 Greenback Lane Sacramento, CA. 95841. Karen will be laid to rest in the Garden of Honor area of the park. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.obits.eastlawn.com

Karen will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a loving wife, mother, friend, and independent woman who cared for others more than herself. Karen was always intellectually ahead of her time, and a forward thinker. She wasn’t scared to work in a predominantly male oriented industry and could stand her ground with most male counterparts. Her father often said of her she could be “stubborn” at times. As they used to say in Missouri where he was from.

We will always “Love You to The Moon And Back”