Obituary of Karen L. Nelson

Mrs. Karen Lucille Barnes Nelson

Karen Lucille Barnes Nelson was born July 13, 1949  in Morgantown, West Virginia.  She was the daughter of the late Louis Barnes II and Sarah Lucille Hall Barnes Colbert.

She met James Nelson, quit school, and started a family.  When her children were in Jr. High School, she began to study to get her G.E.D. and eventually passed it with flying colors.  Her first job was with the Head Start program in Apollo, Pennsylvania.  She loved working with pre-school children.  After working for a number of years, she became a classroom teacher.  Her creativity in the classroom was outstanding.

She was so gifted in wedding and party planning and decorating.  She had a gift for creating, designing, and making center pieces and decorating a table or banquet hall fit for a king.

She decided to go back to college to study early childhood education at Westmoreland County Community College. She completed her Associates Degree and continued to study to finish her Bachelor’s Degree. She worked with the Head Start Program for over forty years.  She had to finally retire from Head Start, in Fayette County, due to health reasons. She really missed her kids.

Karen loved her church (The Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church) in Uniontown, Pa. It was dear to her heart.  She supported the church with her presence, her talents, her money, and her love.  Anything she could do to support and help build up the church she would do. She will be missed.

She was a devoted mother, sister, aunt and friend.  She was an adopted grandma because she loved children.

She hung in there, for years, considering the health problems she faced.  But, on Sunday, December 28^th, her heart could not fight the battle any longer. She fell asleep in Jesus. She awaits His return. She will be missed by her loving family, her adopted family, and a multitude of friends.

 She is preceded in death by her father Louis Barnes II, her mother Lucille Hall Barnes Colbert, and her brother Louis Barnes III.

 She is survived by her sisters Sarah Barnes Stewart Jones (Husband John) and Patience Barnes; her brother David Barnes; her children James Edward Nelson Jr. and Rene Maxine Nelson; uncles, a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Family and friends will be received on Monday from 2:00 to 4:00 & 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Galone-Caruso Funeral Home Inc., Mt. Pleasant, where a Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.  Interment will follow in Middle Prebyterian Cemetery,  To offer an online condolence, please visit our website at www.galone-carusofuneralhome.com