Karen Lynn Hurst, age 71, was born on October 20, 1948 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Her late mother was Sally Lavern Hillis and her late father was William Alfred Hillis, Jr., a WWII survivor of Midway. Karen was a graduate of Poplar Bluff High School and soon after married Dale Hurst. Together, they worked their farm in Reyno, Arkansas for years. They had two children, a set of twins, Jennifer and Todd. She worked for Wal Mart in Pocahontas, Arkansas for five years and had worked for a few years in the Reyno school cafeteria. She recently moved to Madison and was baptized into Lake Harbour Church of Christ in 2019. She enjoyed painting most of her life and always had a soft place in her heart for animals, especially horses. Ms. Hurst is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Parakkal and her husband Santosh of Madison, Mississippi; son, Todd Hurst of Poplar Bluff, Missouri; grandchildren, Megan Hurst, age 21, of VA, twins Elizabeth Parakkal and Christopher Parakkal, ages 11, and Isabella Parakkal, age 6; and a brother, Tim Hillis of Farmington, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in her name may be made to the American Diabetes Foundation.