Longtime Kentucky Resident Karen Eaton Dies at 74

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Karen Ann Eaton, a 74-year-old resident of Kuttawa, Kentucky, passed away on February 21, 2026 at Baptist Health in Paducah. Eaton had a long and varied career that took her across Kentucky, South Korea, Georgia, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Texas before she retired and moved back to Kuttawa. She worked in a variety of roles including nursing home aide, restaurant worker, English teacher, graphic designer, truck driver, and school bus manager.

Why it matters

Eaton's life story highlights the diverse career paths and experiences that many people take over the course of their lives, especially those who grew up in small towns but went on to live and work in multiple states and countries. Her return to her hometown of Kuttawa in retirement also reflects a common trend of people moving back to their roots later in life.

The details

Eaton graduated from Lyon County High School in 1969 and earned an accounting degree after attending Western Kentucky University and Murray State University. Over the years, she worked a wide range of jobs including at a nursing home, a local restaurant, as an English teacher in South Korea, at a graphics company in Oregon, in the trucking industry in Wisconsin and Texas, and finally as a school bus manager in Katy, Texas for over 20 years before retiring.

• Eaton passed away on February 21, 2026 at the age of 74.
• Eaton's husband, Edwin Eugene Eaton, passed away on December 7, 2021.