MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Friends and family are mourning the loss of a Collierville wife and mother and Kirby High School graduate after her death trying to safe a child in water near Mobile, AL this past weekend.
Those who knew Karen Graham - who described her as passionate about caring for others - confirmed her passing on Facebook.
According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, a nine-year-old girl was pulled out by the surf Saturday near Fort Morgan on the Gulf Shores.
The Coast Guard said about 20 adults - including Graham - tried making a human chain but the chain broke.
That spokesperson said paramedics airlifted Graham to a nearby hospital but her friends posted on social media that she did not survive.
"If you read any of the other Facebook posts from all of her friends, she just touched so many people, you know it's rare to find people like that in this world," Graham's longtime friend and former coworker Scot Davis said. "There's a lot of people that touch other people's live but Karen was just such an engaging person, just a big smile."
Friends said Graham is survived by her husband and two children.
She attended Kirby High School with Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert, who also expressed her condolences on Facebook this weekend.