Karena Kaye Scholten, age 36, of Antioch, Tennessee passed away on October 6, 2025 at Centennial Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee after a brief illness.
Visitation will be held from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025 at Woodfin Memorial Chapel in Murfreesboro. Her youth pastor, Rev. Kurt Copeland, will be officiating. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro.
Karena is survived by her parents, Rodney Scholten and Sharon (Feller) Scholten of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, her brother James Scholten of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, her best friend, Lisa Morris of Antioch, Tennessee, their four dogs, Oakley, Raider, Presley and Jolene, and her boyfriend, Jacob Addison.
She is also survived by those who knew her as their Kenna: Savannah Parkerson, Grant Parkerson, Payton Parkerson, and Jax Swann of Decherd, Tennessee. Karena loved Leah Swann and all of her kids, as if they were her own.
Karena was born on September 3, 1989, in Franklin, Tennessee. She joined the Scholten family on September 25, 2025, at 22 days old and was adopted by Rodney and Sharon Scholten the following year. She attended Franklin Road Christian School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee from K5 through seventh grade. She was homeschooled through high school under the Umbrella School of Daniel One Academy in Cookeville, Tennessee, graduating in 2008. She continued her education and received her degree in Criminal Justice, Magna Cum Laude from King University in Bristol, Tennessee in April of 2018. In 2019, she received certification to work as a volunteer children’s advocate for CASA of Nashville, Tennessee and was a voice for children in the courtrooms in Davidson County for several years.
As an adult, Karena was a member of Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee since May of 2018.
Karena dedicated more than a decade to the American General Life Insurance Company. A natural leader, Karena mentored dozens of individuals in the organization to bring out the best in each of them. She had a brilliant mind and a keen eye for processes.
Karena was respected, trusted, and loved by all that knew her. Whatever she represented to you in your life, know that Karena loved you all. She leaves behind a legacy and her loss will be felt for years to come. An online guestbook is available for the Scholten family at www.woodfinchapel.com.
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