Sue Allen

Affectionately known as “Sue” or “Aunt Sue,” she was born on August 24th, 1938, to NF and Lorena (Thompson) Minyard in Henryetta, OK. She attended Graham School in Okfuskee County and graduated in 1955, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1959 and a Master of Science in 1968, degrees in Education from Northeastern Oklahoma College in Tahlequah, OK, and graduated from the doctoral program in 1971 in Educational Administration from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.

She worked in the field of education for most of her professional career. She worked as a teacher at Haskell Institute in Lawrence, KS, Ft. Sill Indian School in Lawton, OK, and at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, OK, before retiring with over thirty years as a federal employee. After retirement, she moved to Tahlequah, OK, in 1995.

Sue had a deep love for her family and her faith. She enjoyed reading, eating ice cream, playing the piano, watching all kinds of sports, especially basketball, supporting her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in all their extracurricular activities, and helping them with their academic undertakings. She had a great sense of humor, a quick wit, and rarely could you get anything past her. She was a devoted wife, a great mother, and a wonderful grandmother and will be deeply missed.

She married Wallace Allen Jr. on November 11, 1958, and they were married for over 62 years. She was of the Catholic faith and a member of St. Brigid Catholic Church in Tahlequah, OK. She was a proud member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Sue is preceded in death by her husband, Wally, in 2020; her parents; and her siblings, Lou Joe Kinney, Charlene Dunlap, and Tommy, Tony, and Jerry Minyard.

She is survived by her three children, Lenden Allen of Tonkawa, OK, Mark Allen (Cee Cee) of Norman, OK, and Karen Blankenship (Perry) of Tahlequah, OK. She lives on in her grandchildren, Curry Blankenship of Okmulgee, Devin RoundFace (Calvin) of Tonkawa, Gentry Riet-Kerk (Kyle) of Tahlequah, Chris Blankenship of Stillwater, and Consie Girty (Jeff) of Cherokee, NC; and her great-grandchildren, Cameron Blankenship, Adeline, Quinn, Juliana, Zoe, and Kade Riet-Kerk, and Georjia Girty. She leaves sisters-in-law, Sandra Mitchell of Ponca City and Linda Allen of Horton, KS, and brother-in-law William Dunlap of Beggs, OK, as well as many nieces and nephews.