Chesley Warren Karr

Chesley Warren Karr, age 72 and a longtime resident of and a small business owner in Albuquerque, passed away Monday, August 24, 2026. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Kari Ward Karr of Albuquerque, and their granddaughter, Ava Karr, of Albuquerque, as well as his sister, two brothers, and numerous nieces, nephews, and in-laws. He was predeceased by his son, Aaron T. Karr. He was the son of John and Joyce Karr of El Paso, TX.

Chesley grew up in El Paso and was the named litigant in a court case – Karr vs. Schmidt – involving the El Paso public schools’ decision to try to force him to cut his hair. The case went to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court, which found against Chesley and held that the school system did not violate the U.S. Constitution or his rights by enforcing hair-length regulations for male students.

After the case concluded, Chesley moved to Kansas to care for his maternal grandfather, Pappy Van Gundy, and work on Pappy’s farm. After Pappy’s death, he returned to New Mexico, where he initially worked as a counselor.

In 1978, he met Kari Ward, and the two married on Halloween 1980, as she was working on her doctoral degree in counseling at Arizona State University. After Kari received her degree, the young couple moved to El Paso, where they welcomed a son, Aaron Thorborn Karr, in 1985.

The family relocated to Albuquerque when Aaron was just a toddler, and Chesley went to work for the Bruni property management company. He excelled at property management, eventually buying out Dick Bruni and opening Bruni-Karr property management, which he would oversee for some twenty or more years. He also served as the president of the National Association of Residential Property Managers.

In addition to his successful business venture, Chesley was an auto racing enthusiast and a muscle car aficionado. He fully restored his white 1968 Pontiac Firebird and entered it in numerous local car shows, taking home several ribbons.

Chesley was a kind and gentle person, easy with a laugh or a good story, and always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed one. He was much loved and will be missed.

The family is asking that donations honoring Chesley be made to the Aaron Thorborn Karr scholarship fund at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). The scholarship assists nursing students at CNM. Those interested in donating should go to the following link: https://www.cnm.edu/depts/foundation and scroll to the middle of the page.

Services for Chesley are scheduled for October 10th at 10:00 AM at Daniels Family Funeral Service, 7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.