While I didn't know Karen deeply on a personal level, I know the kind of woman she was.  My brother, Dennis, is a living story of that and one of the greatest men that I've ever met.  We wish nothing but positivity for the Heaton family moving forward, and we are sending our love and condolences to you all.

Sincerely,
Devin and Paige Adair

Dirk and I had the good fortune to know Karen for the last three and a half years through an introduction by Dennis. Dennis told us about his mom, how hard she worked, her dedication to her kids, and her lifelong dream of living her life at the beach. We met and knew her on Oak Island. Her home reflected her joy at living her life at the beach.  She was always showing us her latest project and telling us of her children and grandchildren.  We are lucky to have known her. Much love and sympathy to her family and friends. ❤️  We will miss her so much. 

To my dearest sister-in-law Karen.
Thank you for all you meant to me and to Patti Jo – you were indeed an inspiration to us, and we love you so much.
We travelled with you often and those journeys are amongst our most treasured memories.
You dreamed of the ocean and made it yours – and, indeed, you followed and achieved your dreams throughout your life - some of which you shared with us.
Join with the wind and the waves now Karen - may the ebb and flow encompass your spirit as you become one with the sea.
We will always love and miss you dearly.
Your loving brother-in-law,
Roy

Remembering You

My dearest sweet beautiful sister, 

Today, we celebrate your life. Your sixty-six years were filled with many wondrous experiences and adventures, and were also dotted, at times, with the sadness of loss, which somehow served to forge additional strength into your character. I always admired your tenacity, your intelligence, your quick wit, and your ability to look beyond a person’s faults to find the true value within them. You were a giver, adding to the value of others, not ever taking away. 

As sisters, we shared a special connection, bound together by a common thread of love, which, over the years and across the miles, created a rich, colorful fabric of life, that never lost its vibrancy. Additional, even stronger threads were added to that fabric with the arrival of our children. We each loved the other’s as our own. That will always remain a constant. 

You and I called this magical island of yours The Source. It was here you felt renewed and at peace with the world. It was here I felt closer to you than ever before. We didn’t need to say a word, but always marveled at the amount of joy that could be shared by pulling our beach chairs side-by-side into the water, watching the waves roll gently across our toes and feet. Your smile said everything! Your smile, to me, was everything. 

Today, my sweet sister, my heart swims with you, racing with the current, feeling the rise and fall of the tides, exhilarated by the power of the waves, and then lulled by the glorious sensation of floating. Be at peace, Kitten, know that you are missed by many, and allow the ocean to hold you gently in her arms. 

I love you forever.


*A poem we both loved:
                     
Loud Sea

Loud sea, bottomless sea, endless sea. 
Your beauty grows when we’re alone,
And so deep your voice intimately
Follows the secretmost dancing of my dream
That moments are when I think
You’re a miracle created only for me.

By Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

I never had the privilege of getting to know her, but I do have that privilege of being brothers with her son.  It seems to me that she adored and cherished every moment with her family and they are stronger for having had a matriarch like her leading the family.  May God bless them moving forward and Rest In Heaven Chief.

To the best mother that any child or children could have. You had so many awesome qualities that I simply can’t list them all. I’m so glad God chose me to be in your life and for you to be my mom. I am still writing you a long letter. I won’t share it with anyone because I know you’re reading it with me. Mom, I love you, I miss you. This journey to heal my heart will be a long one, and I’ll try to be as strong as I can for you and the rest of the family. Rest easy my darling mother. I’ll see you again. I love you  

Your son,
 Beau. 

I had the pleasure to work with Karen at The Office of the Adjutant General, South Carolina National Guard.   She was highly professional and a pleasure to work with.  Karen certainly left her mark on the Guard and it is better because of her.  I knew her also to love her children immensely and she was very proud of them and their families.   She always talked about her wonderful grandchildren.  Karen was a special person and I am blessed and honored to have known her.   My most sincere condolences to her family...

I worked with Karen in the South Carolina Air National Guard.  She was always a pleasure to work with-even when she was auditing our unit!  Prayers for peace for her family.

So very sorry to hear about Karen. We had so many good times in high school. My thoughts and prayers to all family. 

OBITUARY

Karen Jane Heaton

22 August, 1954 – 10 January, 2021

Peacock, Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service

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