Karen Rebecca Toms Akin

Karen Rebecca Toms Akin

MUNCIE - Karen Rebecca Toms Akin passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2015 in Muncie due to the effects of metastatic melanoma, which she had valiantly and passionately fought for almost six years.

Karen was born in Jonesboro, Louisiana to Rev. Wayne and Julie Toms on November 28, 1951. She and her family lived in several communities across north Louisiana as her father was the pastor at different churches in those communities. She graduated Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Accounting having worked full-time and attending school part-time over ten years to complete her degree. She persevered to accomplish all tasks like none other.

Karen was the chief architect of the current freshman student orientation program at Louisiana Tech from which the successful Orientation Student Leader program was established. She later served as the Director of Admissions, following her mentor, Patsy B. Lewis. Karen also formed many meaningful relationships in her banking in Baton Rouge, Muncie, and in Columbia, South Carolina.

Karen always enjoyed decorating and helping people create meaningful spaces in their homes. This became a full-time career for her in the last ten years. She enjoyed traveling and was so thankful to have taken many trips with family and friends. Karen loved opening up her home and extending hospitality. Showing the love of Christ to those in her life was what she lived for, and she found ways to do that in her every day life.

She was a lover of life and a lover of souls. She was the life of the party and she knew how to throw one!

Karen was on the board of directors for Stripped Love, an Anderson, Indiana-based Christian ministry that serves women in sex trade and shares God's unconditional love with them. She was also a member of Psi Iota Xi in Muncie.

Karen is preceded in death by her father, Rev. Wayne Currie Toms and her mother, Lillie Mae "Julie" Stewart Toms.

She is survived by her devoted and loving husband of thirty-five years, Hudson Akin of Muncie; her daughter, Erin Akin Carroll (Todd Carroll) of Columbia, South Carolina; her son, Walker Akin, of Avon, Colorado, and her three grandsons, John Matthew Hudson Carroll, Hayes Claxton Carroll, and James Walker Carroll all of Columbia, South Carolina; Two brothers, Larry Toms (Libby Toms) of Benton, Louisiana and Stuart Toms (Johnette Toms) of Quitman, Louisiana along with loving in-laws, many nieces and nephews and a host of long-time friends.

Memorial services to celebrate Karen's life will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 7, 2015 at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana.

Calling is 12-2 p.m. Monday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Stripped Love, Inc., PO Box 2901, Anderson, Indiana 46018 www.strippedlove.org or Bill Glass Behind The Walls Prison Ministry, 1101 S. Cedar Ridge Drive, Duncanville, TX 75137 www.behindthewalls.com.