Clara Laurae Allen

On Monday, July 19, 2021, Clara Laurae Allen, loving wife, mother, and grandmother passed away at the age of 84. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, at First United Methodist. Laurae was born on October 2, 1936, in Nolan County, Texas to Sam Houston and Annona (Smith) Neal. She graduated from Sweetwater High School in Sweetwater, Texas and married Rev. Joe B. Allen, Jr. on June 21, 1954. They raised one son, Neal and together served churches in the Northwest Texas and Yellowstone conferences of the United Methodist Church, including West Side United Methodist Church in Great Falls. Laurae worked several interesting jobs such as secretary to the County Tax Assessor-Collector in Carson County, Texas, Special Education Assistant Teacher in Vega, Texas, and preparation of oil and gas abstracts in Throckmorton, Texas. After moving to Great Falls, Laurae worked as a legal secretary until she retired. Following the death of Rev. Allen, Laurae met and married Dick Headley, with whom she enjoyed the outdoors and particularly a shared love of fishing. Laurae was preceded in death by her first husband, Joe and her sister, Helen. She is survived by husband, Dick Headley of Great Falls; son, Neal and his wife Debbie of Elk Grove, California; grandson, Jesse Allen of Sacramento, California; granddaughter, Jaime Allen Bujanda of El Paso, Texas; and nieces and nephews.