Karen Bates Lege, age 61, passed away on Monday, December 8, 2014. She was the first Special Olympics silver medal recipient at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Karen was also the Gold medal winner in the International Special Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where she also received numerous ribbons in swimming. She loved to sew, she loved to laugh and she loved people. One of Karen’s joys was watching her Alabama Football. Karen loved her mama and her family dearly, and she will be greatly missed.
Karen is preceded in death by her father, James Robert Bates; brother, Steve Bates; and nephew, Marcus Price. She is survived by her mother, Delores Bates; brother, Chris Bates (Patricia); nieces, Stephanie Hicks (Shane) and Cari Daniels (Chad Davis); nephews, Jason Bates (Monica) and Christopher Bates (Leslie); and 8 great nieces and nephews.
The celebration of Karen’s life will be at 11am on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at Southern Heritage Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at the funeral home
