William "Jackie" Jackson Allen

William Jackson Allen (Jackie), 77, of Sylva, formerly Lakeland, Florida, passed away Friday, March 14, 2014. The son of the late Jack and Mary Allen, he was born in Cairo, GA and moved to Lakeland, Florida in his youth. He graduated from Lakeland High School and upon graduation joined the United States Air Force, retiring in 1975 from the Air Force after 22 years of service. He moved back to Lakeland, Florida with his family in 1975 and went into business with one of his brothers. He retired a second time in 1998. He had been a resident of Jackson County the past 10 years. Besides his parents, he was also preceded in death by a his wife of 57 years, Edna Brewer Allen, a son, Dennis B. Allen, brothers, Eddie and Donald and sisters Mickey, Virginia and Violet. He is survived by two sons- Jesse (Roni) Allen of Edmond, Oklahoma and Lindsay (Carolyn) Allen of Cumming, GA; one daughter- Heidi (Joe) Crowe of Lakeland, FL; four grandchildren- Alaina Barrow, Alyssa Bragg, Lance and Vicky Allen; three great grandchildren- Tristan and Zoey Barrow and soon to be Ryleigh Bragg; and a brother, Gene. Memorial Services with Full Military Honors will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Cullowhee Baptist Church, 148 Central Dr., Cullowhee, NC 28723. In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation to Cullowhee Baptist Church in Cullowhee, NC. Condolences may be expressed on-line at www.mcdonaldandson.com. Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home & Crematory, 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 886-9899