Allie Belle Yarbrough Owens passed away on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, at Cullman Regional Medical Center after a long illness. Visitation for Ms. Owens will be from 1 – 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home with funeral services following at 3 p.m.
Allie Owens was born on Nov. 28, 1932, in Falkville, Alabama, to Eugene and Rosie Yarbrough. The family ultimately settled in Vinemont, where Allie and her brother, Charles, and her sister, Joyce, were raised with lots of cousins, lots of love, and lots of faith in God.
Like many of her generation, Allie grew up poor and learned how to work to help support the family from a young age. Her parents were sharecroppers whom she helped to pick cotton in the Tennessee River Valley region, alongside her siblings. Later as a teen, Allie spent a memorable summer with her Falkville cousins and worked in a food canning plant. Another summer found her working in a local dry cleaner to help support her family. Together with her sister, Allie worked and saved as much money as she could for the girls to paint their childhood home before their brother came home with his new bride from New Mexico.
Allie landed her first job in the medical field as an assistant to a local physician while still in school at Cullman High. She later became a dental hygienist, a job she loved, working locally and in Birmingham at the Alabama Cast Iron Pipe Company, or ACIPCO, before marrying Walter Owens and beginning her full-time life job of mother to five children: Andy, Brent, Lyn, Darren, and Darla.
Raising her five kids in Cullman, Allie epitomized the busy mom who chauffeured her kids-and often many others-to and from band practices, sports practices, skating rinks, swimming pools, movie theatres, and every parade, concert, graduation, and football performance imaginable. She also lovingly sewed many a dress, blouse, or outfit for Darla, since money was always tight, and sewing was cheaper than retail. When new drapes or a bedspread were needed, out came the sewing machine. Allie’s love of sewing and fabric caused many a tortuous afternoon for her boys as she went to fabric shops to find new patterns or fabric. Allie logged countless miles for field trips, riding the bus for one or more of her kids at a time, touring every field-trip worthy venue a mama can visit. She made it her mission in life to show her children how much she loved them, and many “I love you’s” were exchanged between them all daily. As her children were baptized into Christ one by one, her joy was complete.
Allie also took care of her parents, who never drove, making sure they were well cared for while managing and raising her five kids. Allie made sure they had groceries, assisted with bi-weekly laundromat runs, drove them to every doctor’s appointment near or far, ensured they were in attendance for graduations, plays, and concerts, and when Rosie could no longer walk to church, she made sure her mama was at worship service. Allie and the whole family enjoyed many nights sitting on Yarbrough front porch, telling stories and listening to the sounds of God’s creatures talking to one another.
At the age of 56, Allie entered college at Wallace State Community College, studying medical records science. As with everyone of her generation, she proved herself capable and was the proverbial “curve buster” who studied hard for every test, much to the dismay of her younger student counterparts, and she graduated with honors. Though ultimately, she did not continue her work in the medical field, Allie worked for Cullman County’s Commission on Aging where her compassion, intelligence, style, and humor were a welcome part of the everyday for her co-workers and guests. She believed everyone deserved to be heard by an advocate for their needs, and she believed in their work there before retiring at age 80.
To the chagrin of her children, Allie turned down recognition as Cullman County Senior of the Year several years ago because she didn’t like to be the center of attention and accepting the award would mean her photo gracing the cover of the Cullman senior magazine. It also meant a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet then-President Bush. She didn’t feel her story was any different from anyone else’s story. She was wrong.
Allie overcame a lifetime of continued hardships but always found a way for her kids to laugh and to grow despite those hardships. She was, is, and will always be beloved for being the one and only Allie.
Allie was preceded in death by her parents: Eugene and Rosie; her brother: Charles Yarbrough; and her son: Lyn Owens.
She is survived by her sister: Joyce Pulse; her adoring sons: Andy (Lisa) Owens, Brent (Angela) Owens, and Darren Owens; her adoring daughter: Darla (Blake) West; as well as her grandchildren: Jonathan (Whitney) Cross, Wade Owens, Glenn Owens, Loren Owens, and Brooks West; and great-grandchildren: Keylee and Andi Cross. Allie deeply loved and is survived by a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was beloved by her co-workers, including her special “adopted” children: Becky Faulk, Kelly Wheeler, and Randall Shedd, whom she loved like her own, and a host of others whom she loved and missed after retirement.
Special and heartfelt thanks go to the nursing staff at Cullman Regional who were so kind and precious to Allie during her illness and passing. Their kindnesses will be remembered and treasured always.
