Karen was born in Henderson, North Carolina, to BC and Alma Wells and was the youngest of three children. She graduated from Henderson High School and studied at Wake Forest School of Medicine where she earned her nursing degree. In 1963 Karen married Wilford (Will) C. Manley Jr. of Ft. Meade, Florida, whom she met while serving in a mission church that Will pastored while he was a student at Southeastern Theological Seminary.

Karen was a superb and irreplaceable wife, mother, and grandmother and a model of Christian love and service. Over the course of her lifetime she cared deeply for her family and friends as well as directed adult education at First Baptist Church, Greenville, South Carolina; served as minister to children at First Baptist Church, Greer, South Carolina; founded CenterQuest, an after-school ministry to children in Greer, South Carolina; served several terms and as chair of the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in Greer, South Carolina; served as a consultant to two churches in Greenville, South Carolina; directed women’s ministry for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Discipleship Department; and directed a retirement home in Greenville, South Carolina. Karen was also a member of the Johnson City Symphony Guild; a member of the Johnson City Monday Club; a member of Central Baptist Church, Johnson City; enthusiastically involved in promoting the arts in the schools through poetry contests and the musical instrument petting zoo; and devoted to both foreign and local mission work. Karen resided with Will at their home in Johnson City, Tennessee, during the past twenty years of her life, where they enjoyed the unfolding four seasons and views of the Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee mountains.

Karen is survived by her husband, Will; sons Graham (Sloan) and Ethan (Emily); daughter Jennifer (Ansel); grandchildren Jake, Henry, Sarah, Camille, Jack, Charlie, and Keller;brother Dewey Wells; sisters-in-law Kay Manley, Jean Durrance, Janice Thompson, and Joann Wells; brothers-in-law Billy Thompson and Bobby Durrance; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.