Karen Alanna Shirley Goolsby

Karen Alanna Shirley Goolsby, 43, of Lee County, Ga., went to be with her Lord on February 7, 2014 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Her time on this earth was short but this is not her true home. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Sherwood Baptist Church Chapel. Dr. Glen L. Shultz and Rev. Johnny White will officiate. Interment will follow in Leesburg Cemetery. A native of North Little Rock, Ark., she moved to Georgia at the age of two. She grew up in Lee County, Ga., graduated from Lee County High School in 1988 and received her Associates Degree from Darton State College. She was a member of Thundering Springs Baptist Church but was attending Sherwood Baptist Church where she was a member of the Journey Sunday School Class. Karen worked at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital as a Medical Technologist for 22 years. She was AMT certified. Karen fought a short but courageous battle with brain cancer. Survivors include her daughter, Leigha Katherine Goolsby, her parents, Bobby and Dorothy Shirley and the love of her life, her fiancée, Kevin Kyle Bush all of Lee County, Ga. Even though Karen was an only child, she had many Arkansas relatives, special friends in her Sunday School Class, special adopted Redbone family, and Phoebe family in the lab. She will always be remembered as a hard and dedicated worker in the lab. Karen was preceded in death by her fraternal grandparent, Bonnie Wiggins, maternal grandparents, Mary and Lexter Thomas, and special aunt Diane (Peachie) Tew. The family will receive friends at 1 p.m., one hour before the service in the atrium at Sherwood Baptist Church. Those desiring may make contributions in memory of Karen to the Lee County Animal Shelter, 101 Mossy Dell Road, Leesburg, Ga., 31763, the Cancer Coalition of Southwest Georgia, 2332 Lake Park Drive, Albany, Ga., 31707 or to Darton's Scholarship fund for Medical Lab Technicians (MLTs). The family wishes to express its grateful appreciation for the outpouring of love and concern from family, friends, Sherwood Church,and the Phoebe Lab. We wish to thank Dr. McAfee, his PA, Andy Donnan,the staff at Radiology Oncology, Dr. Neal, Dr. Kishore, Dr. Alexander, and the doctors and nurses at Emory University Hospital, especially her neurosurgeon, Dr. Olson. To sign our online registry or to send condolences to the family, you may visit Mathews' website at www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.