The adult son of a well-known Knox Countian, Roy Arthur, has died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Roy Arthur was director of stormwater for Knox County government until his retirement. The stormwater park on Harrell Road in Karns was named in his honor.
Shawn Dereck Arthur, 54, and his wife, Karen Bibb Arthur, 38, were killed in an automobile crash on May 17, 2026, in Winston-Salem. According to a published report, the incident occurred about 2 a.m. on U.S. 311 at the Interstate 40 westbound exit ramp. The Arthurs were in a 2008 Toyota that was stopped and disabled on the right shoulder of the exit ramp when a 2013 BMW veered off the road and struck the Toyota. Shawn and Karen were pronounced dead at the scene. The BMW driver, a 32-year-old man, was not injured.
A memorial service for Shawn and Karen will be held on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at 1 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 5409 Jacksboro Pike in Fountain City.
Shawn was born on June 16, 1971. He graduated from Central High School and enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has a master’s degree in religion from UT and a PhD in Asian religions from Boston College. Shawn taught at Appalachian State and Wake Forest universities.
At the time of his death, he was teaching Asian religions at Salem College in Winston-Salem. Shawn traveled to China to study Chinese herbal medicine. He was chair of the board at the Jung Tao Institute of Chinese Medicine.
Karen Bibb was born on September 23, 1987, in Atlanta. She grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, graduating from East Chapel Hill High School. She holds a master’s degree in clinic mental health counseling and a certificate in expressive arts therapy, both from Appalachian State University. For the last eight years she has worked with teens and adults in Winston-Salem as a licensed therapist.
Shawn and Karen married on August 6, 2011. They were true soulmates who enjoyed cats, traveling, motorcycles, square dancing, music, theater, tattoos and making art together. They had no children.
Shawn is survived by his father Roy Allen Arthur, mother Carolann O’Brian Clifford, sister Maribeth Arthur and her child, Braden. The obituary is here.
