PHOENIX (AP) - Karen Wittmer Jekel, a former publisher of newspapers in Arizona and other states and a community leader in Scottsdale and the Mesa area, died Dec. 2. She was 65.
The death was confirmed by her husband, Lou Jekel. He says she died six months after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer.
Wittmer Jekel was publisher of the East Valley Tribune in 2007 when she joined her husband in retirement. The couple split their time between Scottsdale and Cornville, Arizona, and Alexandria Bay, New York.
People were interested in these podcasts
Survivors include her husband; her mother, Mary; brothers Mark and Marty and a sister, Margo. The couple had no children.
Jim Ripley, a former co-worker of Wittmer Jekel, says the family plans private services.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.