Karen Dawn Bragg Palmer

Karen Dawn Bragg Palmer passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 surrounded by family and loved ones at her home in Fredericksburg, Virginia after a 19-month journey with ovarian cancer. She was 73 years of age.

Born on October 17, 1947 to Jimmie Nelson Bragg and Mildred Augusta Goodman Bragg, Karen was raised in Fall Branch, Tennessee, near Kingsport. A dedicated student with a passion for education, she graduated from Sullivan High School in 1965, and received her bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan University in 1969. Upon graduation, Karen relocated to Northern Virginia where she taught 4th and 5th grade at Belmont and Lakeridge Elementary Schools in Prince William County for 16 years.

In 1985, she married her husband Charles (Chip) Jefferson Palmer in Rockwall, Texas, and the couple welcomed their son Jeffrey Charles Palmer in 1987 after moving to San Francisco, California. The family returned to Virginia in 1989, settling in Fredericksburg.

Karen founded Peace United Methodist Preschool in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1992, serving as Director until 2004. She later founded Helping Hands, providing companion care and community transport to those in need throughout Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties. Additionally, Karen worked as a Sales Associate at Latitudes Fair Trade Store in Fredericksburg’s historic downtown until 2019.

Karen’s family and friends lovingly remember her for her kindness, warmth, her vivacious laugh, and for always being present and nurturing to those around her.

Karen is survived by her husband, Chip; son, Jeffrey; sisters, Phyllis Brookes and Vicki Kidd (Isaac); brother, Mark Bragg (Sue), and other extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jimmie and Mildred Bragg.

A funeral will take place at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia on Wednesday, May 19,2021 at 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Karen’s memory to Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium in her hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee at https://www.baysmountain.com/donate/, or Thistle Farms, an organization providing a pathway of healing and hope for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction in Nashville, Tennessee, at https://thistlefarms.org/pages/give.