Karen Marie (Trantham) Jones was born on March 25, 1960 to her loving parents, Elsie Marie (Trantham) Smith and Rex Wilson Trantham.

After knowing he would marry her on their second date, Karen married the love of her life, Richard Jones, in January 1994. If you know Richard, you know he is one of a kind, and they built a committed and one-of-a-kind life together. They have been blessed with over 30 years of laughter, adventures, and unconditional love.

Karen is a loved and cherished sister to her older brother Mike Trantham, has siblings through marriage, including a special lifelong bond with her brother, Dwayne Herman and family, and was gifted with a Friendship turned Sisterhood with Debbie Settles.

Karen is a treasured mother to her two children. As she defeated her 6-year battle with a rare neurodegenerative brain disease, PSPP, she joined her son, Justin Faulkner, in heaven on December 17, 2023, as her daughter, Jessica (Faulkner) Beazley, was by her side. The bond between a mother and her children knows no bounds.

Karen treasured being Nana to granddaughter, Mya Marie, and grandson, Luca John, with all of her heart. From the animal walk game, to making a cake in Minnie's Kitchen, to repairing a project on Mickey's workbench, they had so many cherished times and sleepovers at Nana and Poppy's house.

She was the definition of grace. Full of gratitude, she was kind, patient, accepting and has shown the true meaning of unconditional love. She accepts others for who they are, all while encouraging them to continue to grow to their potential. God gifted her with a quiet strength, and her generosity overflows.

Karen has sweet aunts, uncles, dear cousins, family members and friends she loved dearly, including her work BFF, her "Twin Friend" since childhood, her teammate at Oxford HealthCare turned long time friendship, and the Harris Family that became a bonus family to them.

After graduating nursing school, Karen poured her heart into every patient she served over 29 years. She comforted babies in the place of their mother as a NICU Nurse in her first role out of nursing school. Then she devoted a career of 25 years at Oxford HealthCare. She educated, encouraged, coached, counseled, and mentored others through working her way up to being the Regional Director of Home Health. The bookend of her medical career was in Cox Population Health, where she was not only a Nurse Care Manager for patients in their home, but also a companion, trusted ear to listen and a consistent caring voice until her retirement in 2022.

She made a positive difference in so many lives, but Mom and Nana are her most impactful and favorite roles. From raising her children to helping care for her grand babies, she always made everything so special. No matter what they were doing together, they always had fun. Justin and Jessica would get tickets to the theater or concerts for every gift for her. The three of them enjoyed these special times together all year long. There was no shortage of laughter and joy as they loved to share their favorite things, like shows, movies, and books. Their sweet Momma always made them feel loved and treasured.

As grand as the Sequoia trees she leaned against with Richard on their cross-country adventure to see Debbie and Robert, as vast as the Ireland hills she visited with Ronda, as beautiful as the sunsets at the ocean on their family vacations with Justin and Jessica, and as bright as all the stars in the sky is her dedication to everything she did and her devotion to everyone around her. She lived and loved well, and her spirit is shining bright now.

The family would like to send their deepest appreciation for Phoenix Home Care and Hospice for their truly amazing, attentive and professional care.

Visitation will be held from noon to 1:00 PM, Thursday, December 28, 2023, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Celebration of Life Service will follow at 1:00 PM in the funeral home.