BARBARA JEAN ALLEN
Urbandale

Barbara Jean Allen died peacefully on September 17, 2018 at Senior Suites of Urbandale where she had been living since 2008.  Despite the extraordinary efforts of the caring folks at Senior Suites, dementia had yielded a quality of life that no one would really want.  "Mom" to all of us, was born to Floyd and Mary Bishop in Van Wert, Iowa on October 4th, 1926.  Her birth was not "certified" until she later applied for a social security card.  Two affidavits had to be filed, proving, yes – she really had been born.  She grew up on a farm outside Spring Hill, Iowa where she starred on the high school 8 on 8 basketball team.  (Those who know what that is will have to explain it to those who don't.)

Her life changed forever when, during her junior high years, a new kid from Missouri moved in, whose father was chasing work in the coal mines.  She then and there met her 'best friend' for life.  She married Darrell William Allen in 1944, and thereafter "Barbara Allen had a love for Sweet William."  After briefly living in Des Moines, they settled in Indianola to raise their two sons, Gordon and Robert, known by those names only when "mom" was perturbed.  To everybody else, they were Gordy and Bob, and very soon, Big Bob.

Barbara was active in the Indianola United Methodist Church and enjoyed square dancing, card club, and family vacation travel.  Her life was not always easy, leading to her toughness --- and generosity.   There is no other description of her life needed, or sufficient, other than, she was absolutely and totally committed to her family.

Her sons remember underwear every year for Christmas (yippee!), dressing for school by the kitchen oven-door in winter, mowing the acre of lawn on Tuesdays followed with lunch at the A&W, throwing their pajamas down the basement stairs just because they forgot (again) to hang them up, cool washcloths during mumps and measles attacks, priceless advice during the high school 'dating game', very vocal support of her sons at all baseball and basketball games, and her roast beef, dumplings, and beans and cornbread.

Her grandchildren remember summers spent at the cabin on Stony Lake in Hackensack, Minnesota where they enjoyed endless back scratches, homemade pies and malts, feeding bluegills and raccoons, but killing squinnies, watching bears at the city dump, and waiting for grandpa in his shed.  They will all miss you grandma "Bobby."

Those at Senior Suites remember her red suit for special occasions, her sense of humor, her love of desserts (always eat it first), her kind but firm instructions on how they could better run the dining room, and movies late at night when all others had gone to bed.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, and best friend for a lifetime, Darrell, and survived by her two sons, Gordy (Barbara) Allen (yep another one) and Bob (Deborah) Allen; four grandchildren, Amy Wilson, Justin (Tiffany) Allen, Jeff (Erin) Allen, and Jennifer (Cory) Sebert; and six great-grandchildren, Brianne, Connor, Grant, Audrey, Leo and Pace.

The family appreciates and thanks all the caring and thoughtful staff at Senior Suites of Urbandale. Thank you isn't enough.

Visitation with family present will be held 4 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola. Memorials may be given to Senior Suites of Urbandale, 4700 84th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322.