Gayla Kaye Allen

Gayla Allen, 62, Temple, OK Gayla Kaye Allen was born on June 4, 1952 in Duncan, OK to Robert and Opal Harper Allen. She left her earthly body on March 9, 2015 in Lawton, OK. Gayla was the beloved twin sister of Glinda, and they shared a bond comparable to none other. Gayla graduated from Temple High School and Okmulgee Tech and worked for a time in her mom and dad's donut shop in Temple. After the donut shop closed, she, Glinda and Opal spent several years volunteering at the Temple Nutrition Center, where they delivered meals to shut-ins and helped with serving meals at the nutrition site. Gayla was a member of First Baptist Church in Temple and attended faithfully until she entered the Temple Manor Nursing Home. She spent about 4 years at the Manor, and the nurses and staff there became her 2nd family. Gayla loved playing bingo there, and she especially loved it when the aides pampered her with a manicure. Gayla loved her grandparents Dan and Lucille Allen, and James and Lily Harper and her mom and dad, all of whom preceded her in death. But she most especially loved her twin sister Glinda. In addition to Glinda, she is survived by her older sister and brother-in-law, Steve and Dana McIlhaney of Temple, her niece and her family, Michael and Luci Paris, Brice, Millicent, and Phillip of Wichita Falls, and her nephew and his family, Rob and Wendy McIlhaney, Max and Maddux of Wichita Falls, an aunt Evelyn Harper of Nocona, TX, several cousins and many friends. Her services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 13, at First Baptist Church in Temple, Kevin Simpson officiating with burial in the Temple Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Hart-Wyatt Funeral Home in Temple. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 488, Temple, OK 73568.