Iris Allen

Mrs. Iris Allen, (87), was born in the village of Fishburn, County Durham, England on May 20, 1932 and entered Heaven's gates on June 16, 2019 surrounded by her loved ones while in hospital, under hospice care. Iris was the 10th child of James William Wilkinson and Isabella Taylor, both of Fishburn. She was proudly British and called herself "a coal miner's daughter" as her father mined coal for a living in the North of England. While Iris was a nursing student in England, she was introduced to an American Airman because they happened to share the same birth date of May 20th, 1932. John and Iris fell in love and married in 1954. As the military lifestyle moved them between countries, four children were born, two in the US and two in the UK. Iris is proceeded in death by her husband John G. Allen Jr., her son James "Jimmy" Allen, and her granddaughter, Kimberly Renee Coley. She is survived by her children, John (Teresa) Allen of Jacksonville, Ark., Jane (Bill) Coley of Nairobi, Kenya, and Joanne (Joe) Carmical of Cabot, Ark. Her grandchildren, Jonathan, Amanda, Billy, Jennifer, Stephanie, Abigail, Jessica, Joe and their families, including 10 great-grandchildren. Public viewing on Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 5-7 p.m., at Moore's Funeral Home, 1504 Loop Road, Jacksonville, Ark. Funeral service to be conducted on Friday, June 21, 2019, at 10 a.m., the same venue. Arrangements by Moore's Jacksonville Funeral Home. (501) 982-2136. www.mooresjacksonvillefuneralhome.com.