Janice Allen

Allen, Janice Brown, age 92 October 21, 2008. Born on February 24, 1916, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and shortly after moved to Bristow, Oklahoma. Preceded in death by her father, Fred Wallace Brown, who died in the great flu epidemic of 1918, and her mother, Ethel Stiles Brown Powell. Her step-father was Grover C. Powell. Also preceded in death by her husband, Alfred A. Allen, Jr., and her son, Roy A. Allen. A loving, caring, and fun Mother, Grandmother, and Granny, she is survived by two daughters, Janelle Allen Guthrie Tom of Nashville and Nancy Allen of Kingston Springs; four grandchildren, Beth Guthrie Moss Duncan of Madison, Wisconsin, Tom Guthrie, Jr. Shelby of Nashville, Cindy Allen Giles Lewis of Waco, Texas, and Tiffany Allen Heldenfels Steve of Dallas, Texas; four great grand-children, Garner and Catherine Moss, Isabelle Heldenfels, and Edgar Giles. Also survived by nephews, Richard LeGate Jarol of Claremore, Oklahoma, and Steve LeGate Kim of Tulsa, Oklahoma; other nieces and nephew, Anita Arnold, Sam Allen, Jeanne Seymour, and Kathryn Prince. Janice graduated from Bristow High School in 1933, and in 1935 married Alfred A. Allen, Jr., of Bristow, Oklahoma, where they lived until 1947. She had a real lust for life and a perpetual big smile on her face. Her glass was always half full, and with her laughter, she made everyone feel happy. Her passion for travel and her sense of adventure led her to befriend many of diverse backgrounds. She loved to learn about other cultures and was a very tolerant and open-minded person, not so common for her generation. She moved with her family many times, even as far as Alaska, and loved new places, especially Seattle, Washington. She was fortunate to travel to every state in the U.S., as well as to many foreign countries. She loved every minute. Janice was a woman with style, sought out by many for her flair for fashion during her work at Vandevers, an exclusive department store in Tulsa. She won a beauty contest in her teens and was always considered a great beauty inside and out by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. When the grandchildren visited, it was always an adventure, whether walking through a flooded parking lot or playing in the snow in July, eating a rosette or learning to skip and jump down 2 steps. Her three granddaughters wore and passed down the clothes she sewed for them, a great favorite being the blue outfit with giant daisies. Her grandson remembers that she had a bumper sticker on her car that read, HEADING FOR PARADISE. She was so thrilled with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and they all loved her very much.
She had a wonderful circle of friends every place she lived. She was a very active member of the Boeing Wives Club in Huntsville and Seattle, doing volunteer work at the U. S. O. It was at this time that she became a devoted caregiver to her son Roy, who was left brain damaged after a rodeo accident in 1968. Janice came to Nashville in 1977 and lived for over 20 years at the Deer Lake Retirement Community. At her time of death she was living at Homewood Residence Assisted Living. The family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to all of the caregivers there, especially to Barbara Damons. The family would also like to thank Dr. Lee Fentriss, whose time and devotion to Janice and her daughters was invaluable.
Visitation will be at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens on Thursday, October 23, 2008, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Graveside rites will be at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens on Friday, October 24, 2008 at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org, or to the Bellevue Baptist Church, www.bellevuebaptist.com, 101 Cross Timbers Drive, Nashville, TN 37221, where she was a long-time active member.