Willard Hicks Allen

WILLARD HICKS ALLEN Willard Hicks Allen died Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at Highlands Cashiers Hospital, Highlands, North Carolina following a brief illness. She was 102 years old. Mrs. Allen was born July 19, 1910 in Belmont, Mississippi and moved to Tupelo as a young girl. She was a talented musician and served her community by teaching music and playing the piano. She was also the organist at The First Baptist Church in Tupelo, played the piano for the Businessmen's Bible Class for twenty years, and was the pianist for the local Lions Club. She loved clothes and established "Willard's Store," in Tupelo which she operated for twelve years until marrying Lawrence H. Allen, an executive in the utility industry The couple lived in Evanston, Illinois where Mr. Allen was in business. While in Illinois, Mrs. Allen learned to play golf, a game which she enjoyed for many years to come. After a few years in Evanston, the couple returned to Tupelo where Mrs. Allen was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church and played the piano for several Sunday School classes. She swam regularly and was six-time ladies golf champion at the Tupelo Country Club where she also was awarded seven hole-in-one plaques. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Allen moved to Chestnut Hill of Highlands, Highlands, NC, in 1999 to be closer to her brother, Ralph Hicks, and his wife, Barbaranne, of Cashiers, NC. At Chestnut Hill, Mrs. Allen never lost interest in fashion and always amazed her friends with her good-looking outfits. She learned to play bridge as a young girl, and continued to play until shortly before her death. She was a member of The First Baptist Church of Highlands. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Barbaranne Hicks, three nieces -- Leigh Hicks Kouns (husband, Richard), Anne Hicks Hudspeth (husband, Keith), and Ramona Lee Hicks Camara (husband, Manuel) -- and a nephew, Ralph Wallace Hicks (spouse, Deborah Babb). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 501 W. Main Street, Tupelo, MS, 38804. Graveside services will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Glenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at W. E. Pegues, 535 W. Jefferson Street, Tupelo, MS 38804.