Katie Allen

Katie Marie Bell was born July 1,1949 in Dallas, TX to Rewell Bell and Easter Drake. She was the youngest sibling of her family and her early childhood had good memories of spending time with family and friends. 

Katie always exhibited a precocious spirit and completed her academic journey with great success. She excelled at every level as an Honor student, in the Dallas Independent School District. She attended C.F. Carr Elementary School, Sequoyah Junior High School, and L.G. Pinkston High School. While at Pinkston, Katie was a member of the Golden Vikingettes Drill Team and a cadet in the JROTC program. After graduating from Pinkston High School, she earned her Associate degree in Business Administration from Mountain View College. Later she pursued her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University.

On July 1, 1969, Katie married the love of her life, Robert Allen and into this union, one child, Angela Allen, was born. They enjoyed attending church, traveling, watching sporting events and attending Coach Allen’s High School Boys Basketball Team games. Robert attributes meeting Katie as the “change that was needed” in his life. She was a strong support system for Robert and Angela, consistently motivating them to overcome life’s obstacles. 

She began her professional career as a Manager for Field Systems Program Development at Zales Corporation, where she managed the design and development of a comprehensive and unique Executive Development Program for Executive Trainees which resulted in an increase in overall store profitability. Her next career goal was to provide support for people in her community, which led her to become a Dallas Housing Authority Counselor over the Housing Assistance Section 8 Program which created housing solutions for hundreds of families. After a few years at the Dallas Housing Authority, Katie moved on to positions in Hospital Administration as a Business Service Supervisor at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Business Operations Manager where she managed the operational activities of several employees which included Customer Service Representatives, Account Technicians (cash posting), and clerical support positions. 

Following her time at the Dallas Housing Authority, Katie went on to accept a position as an Accounts Payable Supervisor for Ernst & Young, where she was able to efficiently keep the company’s expenditures balanced while supervising five Accounts Payable Coordinators in their day-to-day activities. After being recruited, Katie eventually returned to her passion of assisting families in her community, and accepted the position of Supervisor of Outsource Management at Parkland Health and Hospital System. As a Supervisor for Outsource Management, Katie developed and implemented a standardized Outsource Management Departmental Training Program focused on various employee modules. The purpose of the training program was to provide on-going staff training and development for cost savings and quality improvement. Following her success as a Supervisor for Outsource Management, Katie was promoted to Manager of the Parkland Health Plus Program and Customer Service Department in the Parkland Healthcare System. The Parkland Health Plus Program was developed to provide quality healthcare to qualified Dallas County residents. In 2014, Katie retired from the Parkland Healthcare System in order to spend more quality time with her family.

Katie was preceded in death by her grandparents, Earl Drake (Henrietta Drake); parents, Rewell Bell (Easter Bell); mother-in-law, Mattie Allen; father-in-law, Otto Allen; brother-in-laws, Johnny Ray Allen, Arthur Allen; son-in-law, DaMon Luster, brother-in-law, Willie Wade Sr.; aunts, Catherine Drake and Margaret Bell; uncles, Moses (Dyke) Drake, Toy Drake and Thomas Bell; aunt-in-laws, Ira Mae Hampton, Ira Jean Miller, Dolenne Mack, Alice Routh Steward, Mary Helen Cotton, Ruby J. Brown; uncle-in-laws, Charlie Miller, Edward Miller, and Clarence Mack Sr.

 Katie leaves to cherish her memory: her loving husband of 55 years, Robert Allen; daughter, Angela Allen Luster; step granddaughter, Desiree Luster; son-in-law’s mother, Beverly Brown, sister, Maggie Wade; brothers, R.E. Bell (Pearlie Bell), Herman Bell (Clara Bell) and a host of other relatives and friends.