Betty Allen-Jacks

A service to celebrate the life of Betty Jo Allen-Jacks is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Monday, June 3, 2024, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers, followed by a graveside service at Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.

Betty Jo Allen-Jacks, age 89, of Lubbock, TX, passed away peacefully in her home holding her daughter’s hand on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Betty was born on January 23, 1935, to Jerrel and Winnie Mae Napier Patterson in Clarendon, TX.

As a young girl growing up in McLean, Texas, she loved school. She worked at a drug store in high school, enjoyed her friends, and played basketball and was a cheerleader at McLean High. She was invited to church by a friend, began her life as a dedicated Christ-follower, and was baptized at First Baptist Church, McLean. She married Emmett Don Allen in 1952 and had their two treasured children. They lived in Washington, D.C. before moving to Lubbock in 1957.

She worked at Lubbock Livestock Auction and Bowman Biscuit Company.  She had always had the desire to attend college, and she was able to attend and graduate from her beloved Texas Tech University in 1973 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education. She began her passionate career in Education teaching at Mae Murfee Elementary School in Lubbock. She absolutely loved living out her calling teaching first and fifth grades, and made a lasting impression on countless lives of her students. She then spent three years at Lubbbock ISD Central Office as a Reading Consultant. She received her Master’s degree from Texas Tech in 1983, and then became a school counselor at Preston Smith Elementary for sixteen years until her retirement in 2003.

She married Charles Jacks in 1995, and they had many great years together. They enjoyed traveling together, hosting family events, and attending their grandchildren’s sporting events and activities.

She delighted in creating a cozy, stylish home for her family, cooking, and decorating for holiday gatherings. She was intentional about writing notes and cards in her beautiful cursive handwriting to her family, and always included a sprinkle of glitter inside the envelope, which we affectionately referred to as “being Nana’d.” She enjoyed outdoor walks, tending to her yard, gardening, and sitting on her porch swing. When her loved ones would leave her house after a visit, she would enthusiastically wave at us as we drove away.

She was an avid reader and lifelong learner. She enjoyed being a part of weekly Bible Study groups, especially after her retirement, and never stopped seeking the Lord. She was a charter member of Oakwood Baptist Church, and loved serving there for many years. She was diligent in the practice of prayer and memorizing Scripture, and was always available to offer a listening ear and share sound and Godly wisdom to those that she loved. She was our family’s biggest encourager, and through the ups and downs of life, her infamous phrase to all of us was, “Do the next right thing.”

Betty is survived by husband, Charles Jacks; children, Steve Allen and wife Anne, Donna Isbell and husband Scott, Stepdaughter Vickie Brunet and husband Octave; grandchildren, Stephanie Hart and husband Dusty, Brooke Burciaga and husband Ismael, Blair Broadhurst and wife Erin; great-grandchildren Jax Dixon, Braydon Hart, Marlie Dixon, Dalton Hart, Gracie Hart, Whitaker Ellis, Merritt Ellis, Kennedy Broadhurst, and Palmer Broadhurst, and by her loving caregivers, Mary Ann Hernandez and Hope Zarate.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Jerrel and Winnie Mae Patterson.

Betty was the most kind-hearted, caring, and loving wife, mother, Nana, teacher, counselor, and friend. We rest in knowing she is at peace with her loving Savior in paradise, but she will be fiercely missed here on Earth.

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