Karen Bruton

Karen Bruton, 76, of Brentwood, TN, entered heaven peacefully on Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Karen was born March 6, 1949 to the late James and Ruth Bruton. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Larry Bruton. A native of Kannapolis, NC, Karen earned an undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Wake Forest University. She was a lifelong North Carolina Tar Heels fan, an early supporter and senior member of the UNC Educational Foundation/Rams Club. In 2016, the UNC Board of Trustees honored Karen with the Distinguished Alumna Award.
A gifted CPA and businesswoman, Karen became the first female vice president of two corporations and served twenty years as a corporate controller with Tennessee-based Franklin Industries. She later formed an investment company to trade derivatives and use her business profits to fund overhead costs of her beloved public charity, Just Hope International. In all, Karen's immense generosity made a lasting impact on thousands of widows and orphans, and impoverished communities in nearly twenty countries. She was a proud Rotarian, serving as a longtime member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Brentwood.
Karen was active in church all of her life. Her faith in Jesus grew through her business and charitable work. She loved how God used Brentwood United Methodist Church, the Joyful Noise Sunday School Class, and a Companions in Christ small group to help her be radically available for His purpose and plan for her life. God then used her time at Fellowship Bible Church and her close friends to strengthen her faith and carry her through some of her life's greatest challenges up to the moment she went to be with The Lord.
Skydiving, motorcycles, sailing, and international travel were Karen's adventures of choice. She liked giraffes, walking, eating Italian gelato, and the arts (especially Andrea Bocelli concerts). She loved her family, friends, medical team and caregivers, and the "framily" who affectionately referred to her as "Aunt(ie) Karen." Most of all, she loved Jesus. One of her favorite ways to worship was on the continent of Africa surrounded by smiling children as they praised God together.
A celebration of life will be at 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2025 at Fellowship Bible Church, 1210 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN. Visitation with friends will be one hour prior (4 p.m.).
Memorial gifts may be made to support The Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease, c/o Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 420 E. Superior St., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611 or feinberg.northwestern.edu/giving, or to one of the ministries and organizations listed above.
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