Karen Elizabeth Conerly Singleton took the last steps of her journey Home on July 17, 2020, after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Her last day with her beloved family was spent in a large and comfortable room at Asbury Hospice House in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Although she wasn’t entirely with us, we saw her smile or move her head every once in a while. She was never happier than when all of her family was in the same place. So we knew, despite her body’s failure to communicate it, that she was happy. Very soon, she would be jubilant.
Karen Elizabeth Conerly was born in McComb, Mississippi on February 8, 1945. She is preceded in death by her parents, Doris McDaniel Conerly and Wentz Conerly, her aunt and uncle, Velma Sneed and Dr. Fulton C. Sneed, and her cousin, Dr. Gary A. Sneed.
She grew up in Osyka, Mississippi where she graduated in 1962 from South Pike High School. Her younger brother - Donald (Donnie) - was a member of the boy’s basketball team, and this is how she would come to meet the love of her life. She married Coach David Singleton on August 6, 1965, and moved to New Orleans where she taught music at a private school. She and David moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1966. Karen finished at Belhaven College in 1967 with a degree in music and vocal performance and where - as a senior - she sang the soprano solo at the top of the singing Christmas tree. She went on to teach music in Canton, and then David took a position in Brookhaven, Mississippi, with Investors Diversified Services that would set the trajectory of the first part of their lives. Karen and David had their first daughter, Erin Elizabeth, in 1968. They welcomed their second daughter, Courtney Anne, in 1973. The girls would bring Karen years of joy, love, pride, and consternation. But mostly joy, love, and pride.
David and Karen lived in Brookhaven for 31 years. Karen came to know her Lord and Savior on Labor Day in 1980. The years spent in Brookhaven included raising their daughters, singing for civic and church events, speaking all over the South with the Christian Women’s Club, leading and facilitating many small group studies at First Baptist Church, mentoring countless young wives and mothers, teaching Sunday school, and being a member of many mission trips. All of the Singletons made many life-long friendships with numerous wonderful people in Brookhaven.
Shortly after their first grandchild was born in 1996, they moved to Madison, Mississippi to be close to Courtney and her family. This move would set the trajectory for the remainder of Karen’s years...following the grandchildren she loved so much. While in Madison, Karen and David taught a class for young couples at Colonial Heights Baptist Church for several years, where Karen again discipled and mentored many young wives and mothers. She would welcome three more grandchildren over the course of the next eight years. Being a grandmother was one of the greatest joys of her life. Wherever the grandbabies were, David and Karen would soon follow.
They moved to Hattiesburg in 2004 after Courtney and Carl moved their family to the Oak Grove area, where they would raise their four children. Karen spent the next 15 years pouring into the lives of John David, Hadley, Caleb, and Max. She spent many hours at karate practices, Upward basketball games, Oak Grove show choir performances, and Oak Grove Warrior football games. She saw all of her grandchildren make professions of faith in Christ and recently learned of her eldest’s acceptance into New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to pursue a Master of Divinity degree.
Karen was a life-long dog lover and managed to convince David into bringing many four legged companions home. He would say often that anytime a grandbaby was born or a dog was bought, he lost a spot in the hierarchy. The last fortunate dog in her life after a string of many was Allie, a female Great Pyrenees that Karen rescued (much to David’s chagrin) from the side of the road in 2010.
Anyone who knew Karen for any time at all heard her melodic, beautiful, loud laugh. She loved to laugh and provided many moments of laughter for her family. All of us have laughed through tears during these last days as we recounted many stories about our wonderful matriarch. A true “homemaker,” Karen created a welcoming and beautiful home for her family. She loved holidays and spent hours decorating every room in a way that was always magazine worthy. She instilled in both girls a love for house and home. As her beloved husband said while we were all gathered around her, “If God ever created a woman for loving her family, the prototype was Karen.”
More than one person has referred to Karen as a “force of nature,” and that she was. She was a driving force in the lives of her family and brought much love and joy to so many others. As a volunteer music teacher at St. Francis School in Brookhaven when her girls’ were there, she impacted many young lives through fun and songs. More than one of these students reached out to Erin and Courtney to share their memories of Karen during that time. Her influence will never truly be known.
An obituary is a poor attempt at capturing the light and energy that was Karen Singleton. Her personality and life were just too big. She will be so very missed.
She is survived by her husband, David Singleton of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; daughters, Erin Eaton (Guy) of Brandon, Mississippi, and Courtney Fortenberry (Carl) of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; grandchildren, John David Fortenberry (Lauren), Hadley, Caleb, and Max, all of Hattiesburg, Wyatt Eaton and Lydia Eaton, both of Brandon; brother, Dr. Don Conerly (Beverly) of Hattiesburg, Mississippi; nephew and great niece, Seth Conerly (Taylor) and Finley of Edwardsville, Illinois; niece, Kate (Ernie) of Atlanta, Georgia; and cousins, Petey McElveen and Dr. Fulton Sneed, both of Osyka.
A memorial service for friends will be held on Sunday, July 26, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations are sent to the Asbury Hospice House through the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation in Hattiesburg.
Social distancing and “masks in motion” will be practiced.
