Karen Lee (Townsend) Kent January 11, 1947 ~ August 6, 2025 (age 78)

Funeral services for Karen (Sanders) Kent, 78, of Portales, will be held at 10:00 AM, Wed., Aug 13, 2025 at the University Baptist Church with Rev. Steve Smith officiating.  Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Dan McNally, Konner Burgin, Mike Burgin, Derrell Burgin, Michael Terry and Sherry Sanders serving as pallbearers.  Gary Collier, Lonnie Banister and Ron Sanders will serve as honorary pallbearers,

Karen Lee Kent was born Jan. 11, 1947, in Carlsbad, NM to the home of Evelyn Lenore (Preston) and Jack Leonard Townsend, and passed from this life on the evening of Aug. 6, 2025 in Lubbock, TX.  Karen was a 1965 graduate of Roswell High School.  Following high school, she worked in a bank in Roswell.  On Aug. 1, 1975, she was married to Earl Sanders, and shortly after their marriage they moved to Portales where she continued to work in a local bank.

In the late 1980’s Karen decided to attend beauty school in Roswell, and became a licensed hairdresser in 1988.  At first she was employed at Vickie’s Hair Salon, but in 1992, she opened her own shop at her home.  Karen enjoyed various kinds of hand work, such as sewing, knitting and quilting.  She enjoyed cooking and baking, and regularly volunteered to help provide meals at her church.  In later years, Karen began painting, and became quite accomplished in doing landscapes.

Mr. Sanders preceded her in death on Nov. 8, 2016.  On Aug. 28, 2017 she was married to Tommy Kent.  Together, they were active members in the University Baptist Church.  They also enjoyed going to the local Senior Center.  Karen was a devout Christian, and reared her children in church, and taught them to live Godly lives.  She was an outgoing and friendly person, and made friends with everyone she met.  Karen was gentle and caring, and was extremely generous with what she had.

She is survived by her husband, Tommy of their home; her sons and daughters-in-law, Mike and Anne Burgin of Aztec, NM and Derrell and Nichole Burgin of Edgewood, NM; her daughters, Lee Anne and Daniel McNally of Anna, TX and Sherry Sanders and her companion, Argyle Baukoz of Spokane, WA; her step-children, Karen Wyatt, Mark and Gerri Kent and Michael and Kristi Terry; five grandchildren, Konner and Makenzie Burgin, Kylie Henson, Miranda Twichell and Emery McNally; two great-grandchildren, Colton Twitchell and Kassandra Henson; and 6 step-grandchildren, Tim Wyatt, Jena Dornan, Janelle Hardie, and Micah, Tegan and Braden Terry; and two sisters, Kay Beeman of Hurley, NM and Kathy Pirtle of Timberon, NM.  Besides Mr. Sanders, she was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Billy Townsend.

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