Aletha Delois Allen, 96, of Springfield, MO, departed this life to enter the eternal presence of her Lord and Savior on January 3, 2020 after a brief illness. Aletha was born on September 11, 1923 in Springfield, MO to Samuel Henry Hawkins and Chloe Wooten Hawkins. She graduated from Springfield High School in 1941 and worked for more than 40 years in various roles of responsibility at Farmers and Merchants Bank and later at Commerce Bank of Springfield.
Aletha was preceded in death by her first husband, Arnold Tschappat and later by her second husband, Rueie Allen. She was also preceded in death by her brothers Everton Hawkins, Fred Hawkins, and Edward Hawkins. Aletha was a lifetime member of First Baptist Church, Springfield, MO where she began attending at age six and subsequently accepted Christ at age 13. Thereafter, for nearly 80 years she served faithfully in the children’s department at First Baptist Church, Springfield, MO. Her passion was to encourage children to love the Lord and the Bible.
Her funeral service will be held on January 8, 2020 at 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church, Springfield, MO under the care of Greenlawn Funeral Home East. Interment will follow at Maple Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1:00 to 2:00 pm prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Children’s Ministry at First Baptist Church, Springfield, MO or to the Aletha, Elsa, and Rueie Allen Scholarship Fund at Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, MO.