Karen Avery

Karen Shields Avery

Karen Shields Avery, age 72, of Lakeland, FL, passed away surrounded by her family on July 3,2022. During her brief battle with cancer, she was comforted by the love of her family and her faith in God and often asked to hear the song, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at Memorial Gardens of Columbus.

Karen was born on November 14, 1949, in Columbus to the late Fred and Helen Barrow Shields. She married Phillip Joe Avery on January 8, 1966, and became a proud military wife who supported his career in the U.S. Navy that spanned most of their 57 years of marriage. She was a homemaker who devoted her life to her husband’s success and to her children and grandchildren and took great pride in all of their accomplishments. The youngest child of Fred and Helen, Karen was a source of joy to her family. She was beautiful, compassionate, and fun-loving and enjoyed traveling with her sisters and her niece, who chauffeured them on their adventures. She was a caring daughter, sister, and aunt and gave generously of all that she had to her family or anyone in need.

Survivors include her husband Phillip Joe Avery, Sr.; son Phillip Joe Avery, Jr., of Birmingham, AL, daughter Kimberly Suzzanne Avery of Lakeland, FL; granddaughter Maria Avery of Birmingham, AL, grandsons Alex (Christine) Avery of Jacksonville, FL, and Taylor Avery of Lakeland, FL; and two great-grandchildren, Tiannilene Remay and Phillip Ray Avery. She is also survived by her sisters Carole Forshee of Augusta, GA; Janice (Bobby) White of Grenada; and Cleatha Reese of Augusta; a host of nieces and nephews, and Jon Kubiak, Dunnellon, FL. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Fred Warren Shields and Charles Wayne Shields, Sr., and her sisters Mary Sue Shields and Martha Davis Spoon.

Serving as pallbearers will be Phillip Avery, Jr., Alex Avery, Taylor Avery, Timothy Dalen, Gregory Holden, and Ricky Killian. Honorary pallbearers will be Will Burford, Scott Graham, Asa Sanders, and Keith Shields.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38101