Paula Annette Allen
Born: November 18th, 1950
Died: January 11th, 2017
Obituary
Paula Annette (Tomey) Allen has passed away on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 to be with her family and friends who have gone before. Paula was born November 18, 1950, in San Antonio, Texas to Max Howry and Thelma Laverne (Hall) Tomey. The daughter of a career military man, she spent her growing-up years living in various places including: Texas, Illinois, Germany, Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Iowa.
In 1968 she received her GED from Southeastern Iowa Community College in West Burlington, Iowa and then went on to later graduate in 1991 from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Interpreting for the Deaf. She then commenced to graduate again from Iowa Western in 1993 with an Associate in Arts and an Associate in Science with a major in Psychology. In 1996, she completed her junior year at Iowa State University, majoring in English and minoring in Educational Computing.
Prior to relocating to Council Bluffs to attend college, she worked in Fort Madison, Iowa for Big A Auto Parts for ten years. After graduating from Iowa Western, she went on to Interpret for the Deaf and teach sign language in the local area, as well as in Lyman, Wyoming and Ames, Iowa. After interpreting for ten years, in 1997, she went to work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Facilities Management Office Assistant until she became ill in 2003 due to congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy.
On December 30, 1982, she was baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. This step would bring much joy in serving in the remainder of her life in various callings including Primary, Relief Society, Young Women’s, Music, Interpreting, Missionary and Family History. She loved each and every calling she was blessed with and found it hard when released to move on to another. On May 30, 1987 she received her endowments in the Chicago Illinois Temple.
On September 10, 1969 in Biggsville, Illinois, she married Michael F. Fullenkamp Sr. They were blessed with two children, Annette Marie, and Michael Francis Jr. With Mike serving in the US Marines, their young family would see tours of duty in North Carolina and California.
On November 29, 1982, she married Larry Allen of Montrose, Iowa. They were blessed with a daughter Calla Renee.
Paula’s love for researching family history flourished and put her in contact with many “cousins” and new found friends all over the United States. During her later years, as her health permitted, she would spend many hours compiling her family’s genealogy, and the genealogy of others, as well. She worked, when her health cooperated, in preparing her ancestors to have their temple work done, so that their families could be sealed together forever. She was amazed about how many babies would find her because others did not have them in their family trees on the same lines. She would often say. “It is like they are calling out to me, ‘Please don’t forget me!’”
She loved to travel, write stories, poems, and journals. She loved to work on the computer and loved the Internet and all the good it brought into her life. One of her favorite websites that she frequented was UnsolvedMysteries.com. (USM) There she became known as “Hey,Hey,Paula”. She would make birthday posts for everyone and loved all the members she got to know, both through the “net” and also some she was able to meet in person. She also contributed to the page for USM members who had passed away, posting to USMer Heaven. Posted by one of the creators of USM: "Paula joined USM in 2002. She logged in 13,366 times. During that time she shared with us almost 4,000 posts. Most of them were to make her friends here happy and feel her love. Thank you dear lady for each Birthday Wish and Butterfly Kiss. We will remember you forever!"
Paula’s favorite calling was that of mother and “Grandma Paula” and “Nanny Paula,” as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Kayla Marie, Zachary Thomas, Annabella Marie, and Briley Michelle, Landon Bryce, and Bray Kline called her. She loved spending time with them and learning about their latest adventures. She especially enjoyed the times she got to play “grandma” and had one-on-one time with them. Although they lived many miles apart, they were always in her heart and made her very proud.
Paula is survived by daughter Annette Doiron of Burke, Virginia and her children Kayla and Zachary Doiron, daughter Calla (Jeffrey) Hines of Eielson AFB, Alaska and their children Annabella and Briley Hines, brothers William (Gayle) Thompson Jr. of Goldsboro, North Carolina and Darryl (Gen) Thompson of Fort Madison, Iowa, sister Lisa Tomey of Raleigh, North Carolina and Lisa's daughter Jodi Nehring, great-grandchildren Landon Hull and Bray
Shores of Montgomery, Alabama, as well as extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Max and Thelma Tomey, son Michael Fullenkamp Jr. and brothers Max Allen Tomey, Jeffrey Keith Tomey and Michael Eugene Tomey.
Memorial services will be held at the Council Bluffs Stake Center, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 2303 Butler St., with luncheon preceding the services on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 11am. Burial with be in Aspen Grove Cemetery, Burlington, Iowa near her son Michael at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, Paula has requested that memorials be directed to the Glenwood Ward Missionary Fund or Fast Offering fund for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.