DECEMBER 29, 1940 – JUNE 12, 2021
On Saturday, June 12, 2021, Karen Cornelia Smith Athey, loving wife and mother of three children, passed away at the age of 80.
Karen was born on December 29, 1940, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and moved to Tyler, Texas, in 1967 to settle down with husband Bill Athey and later have 3 children, Billy Hulon Athey, Jr., Ann Elizabeth Athey and Julia Catherine Marshall.
She and her husband were local business owners in beautiful East Texas. Karen was loved by everyone and never met a stranger, lighting up the room wherever she went. She had a free spirit and loved to travel, including Ireland and around the Santa Fe desert. Karen is survived by her daughters, Ann Athey and Julia Marshall, 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
She was proceeded in death by her parents, Betty Ponder Henninger and Hugh V. Smith, husband Bill Athey, Sr., and son Billy Athey, Jr.
Graveside service will be held Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 10 a.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler.
