Betty Ann Allen

Love like Sugar

“I wanna ride! I wanna ride!”, the adventurous three year old exclaimed when her dad and brother came riding up on horses. “It’s January and much too cold for you,” her daddy responded. With a smile that could melt an iceberg she tilted her head and said, “But it would be fun.” And so, she got to go.

Betty Ann Waggoner, W-a-g-GO-n-e-r, was born January 4, 1945 with GO right there in her name. She’s been going ever since. Betty was born in Oklahoma City to God-centered, hardworking parents (Fred & Alta) with one older brother (Al) who she absolutely adored. She had the face, voice and musical talent of an angel, and once Eddie Allen met the stunning 17 year old, he was hooked. The courtship began over a 7-UP in 1962 while they were in college, and two years later the couple married. Betty graduated from University North Texas with a music degree the same week Eddie graduated from Baylor College of Dentistry. They moved to Del City, Oklahoma, bought a house, opened his dental practice (which they ran for 47 years) and raised two children. This may sound mundane, but remember Betty was born with a spirit of GO. Her heart was filled with Jesus and she wanted to go share His love with the world.

Betty never met a stranger. Entertaining was always on the menu at the Allen home. People could drop by anytime for a meal, a song, a bed, a bible lesson, a laugh or a great hug... and often all of the above. She loved God’s people and expressed that love with a deep gift of compassion few people possess. While she was always willing to help others, her love over- flowed for her husband and their two children, Tom and Julie. She gave each of them her spirit of adventure, courage and a desire to share God’s love with the world. As a family and individually they went on mission trips all over the world bringing the message of God’s salvation. It was serious work, but with Betty present the joy was imminent. She sang at a wedding of complete strangers in Romania, used a boombox with microphone out in the bush in Kenya to attract people for a revival meeting, performed for the Mayor in Taipei, purchased a shipping cargo container and helped convert it into a church in Kenya, facilitated giving 100 pairs of shoes for children in a Romanian orphanage, was pulled up on stage in St. Mark’s Square in Venice when they heard her singing from the audience, worked in schools in Moscow, threw jeans out a van window to people in need in Nairobi, taught english to refugees by teaching them to sing Christian songs, and “borrowed” an unattended bus to share the gospel at a school in Ukraine. “They left the keys in it, and I needed to go share about God,” she told them sheepishly. She was one of a kind!

Betty was crushed when her precious Julie died unexpectedly at the age of 23. We are grateful to the friends and family who showed so much love during those dark days. The birth of her grandchildren brought some of the joy back to her heart as she taught them about God, love and laughter. She referred to them as “sugar,” and so in return Joshua and Julia called her “Sugar.” From then on she was known as Sugar, and it fit her perfectly. She loved her grandchildren with all her heart and desired to be a blessing to them, as they were to her. When Tom married Tonya, Betty was over-joyed and loved Tonya and her son, Luciano, as if she had been waiting for their arrival. She told us, “I prayed Tonya up and am certain of Tom and Tonya’s divine union.” She was so proud her son devoted his entire adult life to serving God and she loved being part of the family’s ministry, Innovative Truth, reaching out to people who have otherwise been forgotten.

Even after 53 years of marriage, Eddie would tell her, “I may have given you the last name Allen, but the spirit of GO never left from your maiden name.” Whenever asked, “who will go and serve the Lord?” Betty’s hand shot up and she excitedly said, “I’ll go!” Surrounded by her loving family on April 15, 2018 at 5:42PM, Betty heard the question one more time, “Who will go to be with the Lord?” After 73 years of joy, laughter, love, and lots of ice cream, Betty answered, “I’ll go.”

Join us as we celebrate Betty’s life with a visitation at Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home on Thursday, April 26, 2018 from 4-8PM. We are certain Betty is already playing piano and singing for the Lord, but we will lay her earthly body to rest at the same funeral home on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 2PM, with the interment to follow at Sunny Lane Cemetery.

​Betty specifically requested that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to her family's ministry, Innovative Truth in her memory.    http://www.innovativetruth.org/give.html​

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