Wanda Oldham Burns Allen

Wanda Oldham Burns Allen, age 85, formerly of Paris, Texas, died peacefully at a Longview hospital on January 19, 2017. A memorial service has been scheduled at Bright Holland Funeral Home for 11:00 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23rd, with graveside services following at Evergreen Cemetery. Her brothers, Dr. Bill Oldham and Dwight Oldham will be officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10:30 a.m. until service time on Monday. Wanda was born on May 21, 1931 in Biardstown, Texas. She was one of eight children born to Margaret Irene and Herschel Herman Oldham and lived most of her early years in small communities in Lamar County. She grew up with a strong work ethic from working alongside her sister and six brothers on the family farm. After graduating from high school, she attended business school in Paris and began working for Mr. Dick Hutchison, which launched a 46 year career as a top notch legal secretary. Wanda married John Wesley Burns in 1950. They shared a life for 22 years, raising their two daughters Lisa and Priscilla, primarily in Paris and Houston. She considered Paris home, and returned there in the 1980’s, working once again for a law firm. In 1995, she married Wayne Allen, and they were happily married until his death in 2015. Due to declining health, she moved to a Longview assisted living facility near her two daughters. Wanda was a devout Christian who attended First Baptist Church of Paris. In her later years when she was no longer able to attend church services, she looked forward to Sunday worship on TV. She loved nature, music, and poetry, and gained great comfort from reading the Bible. She also loved to talk politics and could get quite animated about Washington, D.C.! Wanda was preceded in death by her husband Wayne, granddaughter Rachel Anne Henry, sister Faye Anthony Hedges and brothers Joe, James, and Ray Oldham. She is survived by her daughters Lisa Burns Henry of Tyler, Priscilla Burns Eaker (Tommy) of Longview; cherished grandsons Stephen Henry (Holly) of Tyler, Matthew Henry of Bryan, Ryan Eaker (Melissa) of Austin, and Andrew Eaker of Baltimore, MD; and her precious great-granddaughter Ava Eaker of Austin. She is also survived by her beloved brothers Jim Oldham (Clara) of Longview, Dwight Oldham (Jan) of McKinney, and Bill Oldham (Monda) of Searcy, Arkansas. “Charm can be deceptive, and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised.” Proverbs 31:30