Allen Jack Becker

1932 - 2022

Allen Jack Becker
04/23/1932 - 12/12/2022
A Man Whose Life
Touched Many

Allen Jack Becker died peacefully at home on December 12, 2022. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend and employer, he was a respected and honorable man, whose life touched countless others.
A native Texan, Allen was born on April 23, 1932 to Bertha and Edward "Sonny" Becker. He and his two predeceased sisters, Marlene and Ada Mae, grew up in Houston and also enjoyed family time on Galveston Island.
Allen graduated from The University of Texas, where he was a member of the prestigious Silver Spurs service organization. During his senior year, he received the Mike Flynn Award, a designation that honored the most outstanding male student. A proud Texas Longhorn throughout his life, Allen's college years were pivotal. While at UT, he met his wife of 53 years, Shirley Kanter, and began a love affair that lasted until Shirley's passing in 2008.
Married life for Allen and Shirley began while Allen served in the United States Air Force and was stationed on Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin. Here, their eldest child, Brian was born. In 1957, Allen began a career selling insurance for Kansas City Life. Success seemed to follow Allen throughout all of his professional endeavors, starting with winning numerous insurance sales awards and becoming a multi-year member of the Million Dollar Roundtable.
In 1959, second son, Gary was born. Allen and Shirley centered their lives around their close-knit family, raising their children alongside Allen's sisters and their children. This familial closeness has been passed down to the next generation. Each family planned kids around the same ages so that first cousins could became like brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles like second parents.
In 1966, Allen met Sidney Shlenker. Their shared charisma, talent for building relationships, and strong work ethic enabled Allen and Sidney to create a promotion company that would become one the largest multi-faceted live entertainment companies in the world. PACE Entertainment began its journey promoting and producing shows in The Houston Astrodome. During this time, Allen and Shirley grew their family, too, adopting their daughter, Sunni Ann. The three siblings continue to be close and focus on family to this day.
After 33 years of hard work, aches and pains, ups and downs, successes and failures, Allen sold PACE. Allen could now fully focus on his passion for renovating historic American theatres; a passion that led him to restore more historic theatres than anyone in America. Alongside partners and sons, he owned and operated one of the nation's leading live theater companies, ACE Theatrical. ACE owned and operated theaters in New Orleans, San Antonio, and Sugar Land, before being sold in 2018.
During these 50-plus years, Allen and his companies had many extraordinary successes, few spectacular failures, and won numerous accolades and awards, such as Best Of's, Tony's, and an induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Yet for all who knew him well - and whenever he was asked - his greatest achievement was the positive imprint and contribution he made on every person his life touched. Allen's employees knew him to be loving, supportive, and fair. Equally, their love for him continues to this day. No one will ever forget the PACETTES. Or the annual girls' lunches. Or the flowers to every female employee on Valentine's Day. These thoughtful gestures were Allen's way of working with people, more than managing employees, thereby making PACE a family. The leaders Allen hired are the leaders of the entertainment business today. His name and company, PACE, will always be remembered as: Innovative. Honest. Fair. Resourceful. Successful. Generous.
Allen and Shirley carried these attributes into the next phase of their lives devoted to philanthropy. Giving-back was vitally important to them. They generously donated time, effort, and resources in support of children, and medical and Jewish causes.
Allen was fortunate to find a second love, Diana Brackman. They shared a romance until his last day. Even during the most difficult years, Diana was by his side every step of the way, and Allen's children will be forever grateful for her devotion.
Allen is survived by his children: Brian Becker and his wife, Norelle; Gary Becker and his wife Amy; Sunni Markowitz and her husband, Gary; and his cherished grandchildren: Jarod, Jeremy, Abbie, Brookie, Casey, Morgan, and Haley and Phil Wysocki. Countless nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. All greatly important to him.
The family wishes to thank the team of doctors, nurses, and caregivers who have been instrumental during the most difficult times in Allen's final years.
Services will be held on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at 2 pm in Barish Sanctuary at Congregation Emanu El, located at 1500 Sunset Blvd., Houston, TX 77005. A live stream will be available at www.emanuelhouston.org. Serving as pallbearers are nephews Jeff Friedman, Andy Friedman, Steven Wolf and Bert Wolf, and grandsons Jarod Becker, Morgan Becker, Jeremy Becker and Casey Markowitz. Honorary pallbearers are friends Barry Lewis, Louis Messina and Dave Ward.
In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask that you make donations to the Allen J. Becker Family Emergency Fund at the Houston Children's Charity, the National Jewish Hospital or Jewish Family Service.