Thomas "Tom" Eugene Allen

Thomas "Tom" Eugene Allen died peacefully at home on the morning of January 28, 2014. He was born in California in 1941. He was an only child and preceded in death by his mother, Rosella Houston Allen and his father Ernest Richard "Joe" Allen. He is survived by his daughter, Houston Allen of Batesville; sons, Matt Allen and wife Daysi of Miami, Florida; Jeff Allen of Houston, Texas; Todd Allen and wife, Julia, and grandchildren, Katie Allen and Jack Allen all of Batesville. Tom graduated from Jonesboro High School and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Arkansas State University. He joined the United States Army and obtained the rank of Captain before leaving the Army to attend law school at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville. At law school, he was a member of the Arkansas Law Review and a winner of the Minor W. Millwee scholarship. Following law school, he moved his family to Batesville where he practiced law for the next 43 years. He was a recipient of the Outstanding Trial Lawyer award given by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and a recipient of the Arkansas Bar Foundation C.E. Ransick Award of Excellence. Tom enjoyed reading, hunting and fishing, shooting, camping and floating the Buffalo River, but he enjoyed no activity more than the practice of law. He was a Christian and member of the First Baptist Church of Batesville, and a long time Sunday greeter on the front steps of the church. He was a life-long Democrat, Razorback fan and fighter of the good fight. He loved to tell a good story and a good joke. Pallbearers will be Blair Arnold, Gordon Harmon, Randy Ishmael, Don McSpadden, Jerry Post, Ernie Stallings, and John Baxter. Honorary pallbearers are Jim Kilgore, Bill Harris, Joel Mangrum, David Nobles, Jimmy Case, Norman Harkey, Judge Adam Harkey, Steve Choate, Judge Lee Harrod, Judge Whit Fowlkes, Jerry Malone, Sam Beller, Dennis Wood, Tom Cardin, Keith Harmon, Larry Treadway, Gary Sevier, Rodney Stroud, Daniel Brightwell, Gray Dellinger, Matt Dellinger, Claudia Nobles, Debbie Finley and her staff, and members of the Independence County Bar. A funeral service will be held at the First Baptist Church of Batesville at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2014. Burial will follow in Pleasant Valley Cemetery at Cushman under the direction of Roller-Crouch Funeral Home of Batesville. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society at https://donate.cancer.org. You may sign the online guestbook at www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.