Lucile Beard Allardyce

Lucile Annabelle Beard Allardyce experienced a full and enjoyable life beginning with her loving family, consisting of three sisters and four brothers. She shared a special bond with her twin brother, Louis, who were classmates from the first grade and graduated together from Lamar Junior College in Beaumont.
Her father, a local rice farmer, taught her at an early age an appreciation for hard work and a love for the land. Getting to the rice field and observing the harvesting of rice was special to her. Her brother, John, was a businessman selling farm machinery and motor trucks, and this added to her enjoyment of the world of agriculture.

She married her best friend and soul mate, Buford Allardyce, in 1940 at the age of 19. Buford, also an outdoorsman, enjoyed taking Lucile to the Red Horse Club on Village Creek and their home on Crystal Beach. Just two years later, Buford would join the Air Force to train as a pilot. Soon after, Lucile proudly accepted the secretarial position to the Surgeon of the Air Force, as he saw her education and passion to be an asset to the military. Once stationed in London during WWII, Buford spent much of his free time playing, and winning, in the game of craps, providing him the means to send home fine china and silver to his beautiful wife whom he adored.
The couple, having dreamt of having a family of their own, later welcomed their greatest joys, Tom and John. Lucile shared a bond with her boys that continued to grow deeper as the years would pass. She enriched them with a love for the beauty and importance of life, and what one could make of it. Tom and John have both grown to be caring, gracious, and accomplished men because of her every day teachings. John lives in Beaumont and she and Buford frequently visited Tom in Los Angeles, where he currently resides.
Lucile's love for all children lead her to Austin Junior High, where she was the school secretary for many years. Buford, a survivor of WWI, was employed for more than 45 years by Magnolia Petroleum Company now Exxon Mobile. Lucile, being an active member of Calder Baptist Church dating back to 1954, helped nurture the babies in the nursery, taught children's classes and faithfully attended her own Sunday school class and Sunday services in the chapel. At one time the church sponsored women's style shows where Lucile served several times as chairman of the committee. Being a fabulous and fashionable woman, she entered upon her responsibilities with the maximum of enthusiasm.
The zenith of Lucile's enjoyment appeared with the birth of her two granddaughters, Heather and Whitney, to her son John and his wife Becky. The presence of these two angels afforded to Lucile the opportunity to put into practice her talents of cooking, sewing and playing her piano. Her love for and nurturing of her granddaughters provided a foundation which contributed immensely to their happy adult lives.

After Buford and Lucile retired, they traveled to London, Rome, Belgrade, Paris and Hawaii. One very special trip was with her twin brother, Louis, and his wife, Carrie, when they rented a car and traveled through Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland. Buford traced his family history, having its beginning in Scotland, near the first built golf course. Lucile was thrilled that her husband set foot on the soil of the first Allardyce family.

Lucile made the most of each circumstance in which she was found and believed that each moment should be filled with a productive activity. Many of her moments found her visiting the sick in the local hospitals and nursing homes. Her deep love for her husband, mother and father was apparent as she remained by each of their sides as their last days grew near. Lucile celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with Buford in 1990; he lived just four more days. She is now reunited with her one true love, and those who she had to say goodbye to throughout her many years here with us. If one were to search for a person with the maximum of Christian characteristics, his search would end upon locating Lucile Annabelle Allardyce.

A celebration of the Life of Lucile will be Thursday, January 3, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of Claybar Kelley-Watkins Funeral Home with a gathering of family and friends from 12:00 p.m. until the time of the service. Interment will follow at Forest lawn Memorial Park.