Sharon Allen LaRue

Born: January 5, 1930, Fort Worth, Texas

Sharon died peacefully in Dallas, Texas, January 10, 2025, just 5 days after her 95th birthday. In 1933, when Sharon was 3 years old, she won The Shirley Temple Lookalike Contest in Dallas and her picture was featured on the front page of The Dallas Morning News. An only child, Sharon was promoted two grades and graduated from Highland Park High School at the age of 15, with honors including the lead in the senior play, varsity cheerleader, ROTC Queen and Class Favorite. She attended SMU, was a member of the Tri Delt Sorority and was an SMU Rotunda Beauty. While at SMU, she worked as a fashion and photographic model for Neiman Marcus in Dallas. At the age of 16, she moved to New York City and was hired by Harry Conover Modeling Agency and received a movie contract from RKO Studios. At the age of 17, she turned down RKO to marry E.B. (Bill) LaRue, Jr. on November 20, 1947. Our parents always said it was love at first sight when they met on their first date; and Bill proposed two weeks later and they married three months after that. For the next 13 years, they made Athens, Texas (Bill's hometown) their home and began to grow their family. They enjoyed golfing, hunting, fishing and raising their first four of five children. In 1960, they moved to Dallas, Texas, later had their last child and began traveling in their Beechcraft Bonanza airplane; sometimes with all seven family members piled in!

Other than her family, knowing God and Jesus Christ as her savior, The Bible and prayer, were foremost in her life. Sharon was married in Highland Park Presbyterian Church (as were four of her five children and one granddaughter) and devoted many years teaching eighth grade Sunday school. She often spoke at the Christian Women's Club and was a board member for SMU's Christian Leadership and Alumni Association.

Sharon always said that she never got bored. She was a member of Dallas Woman's Club, Tri Delt Luncheon Club, Calliope, Comus, Heritage and Willow Crest Clubs, as well as, Marianne Scruggs Garden Club and The Village Gardeners Club. She loved dining at the Dallas Petroleum Club, cutting a rug with Bill, playing bridge and doubles tennis at Brook Hollow Golf Club and snow skiing with friends and family. She was even taking piano lessons at the age of 87. Watching the Dallas Cowboy games and dinner at El Fenix with close friends was a favorite weekly event. Sharon was an avid reader. She felt very fortunate to have been blessed to travel all over the world with Bill and to have had 67 plus years of marriage to the love of her life. She lived a very full life and left this world reminding us to remember: "Absent from the body but present with The Lord."

Sharon was preceded in death by:

Her parents Julian Ward Allen and Pauline Knotts Allen Hochstein;

Her son Clint Allen LaRue and husband, Bill LaRue;

Parents-in-law Mary Bryson LaRue and E.B. LaRue, Sr.;

Sisters and brothers-in-law Betty LaRue West and V.E. (Chick) West, Mary Ann LaRue Perryman and W.C. (Bill) Perryman;

Nieces and nephews Laird, Lance, Mark, Barbara West Farley, Shannon West Murchison, Waverly West Burford and Kerry Perryman.

She is survived by her much-loved first cousin, Marilyn Farris, Ft. Worth (born 1 day apart);

Her four daughters: Lisa LaRue, Elaine LaRue Colley (Bob Colley), Annette LaRue (Scott Adams) and Susan Ahlgren LaRue Baker (Reid Baker), all from Dallas, and Camille LaRue Olsen (Richard Olsen), of Austin;

Her 9 grandchildren: Britten LaRue, Rhett LaRue, Bailey LaRue (Kindle Bason), Claire Olsen (Alex Alban), Madeline Olsen (Zeke Guadiana), Bryson Dale (Preston Dale), Berit Baker (DJ Baker), Ross Colley (Timbre Colley), Natalie Newton (Sam Newton);

10 great-grandchildren: Sylvia and Arden Buckner, Ren and Theo LaRue, Layne, Hunter and Lincoln Colley, Olivia Dale and Charlotte and George Baker;

Nieces and nephews, Wynne West Anderson (Bobby), Shawn West Webb (Tag), Shelly West Bowman (Tibaut), Kristin LaRue Perryman (Nancy), Gretchen Perryman Lahourcade (Lance), W.C. (Chip) Perryman (Anne) and their children.

We appreciate Dick Davis and his loving family. Dick Davis was also from Highland Park High School and a very important part of Sharon's life for the past 8 years. They enjoyed dinners at Café Pacific and Bent Tree Country Club. We are grateful that Sharon had such wonderful times with him so late in life. We also appreciate all of the loving and caring staff of Sunrise Hillcrest Assisted Living as well as Lovewell Hospice Care.

Sharon and Bill felt strongly about the need for organ donations. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to UT Southwestern Medical Center, specifically Neurological Research, www.utsouthwestern.edu/donatenow.

There will be a graveside service at Athens Cemetery, Athens, TX on April 5th, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Associate Pastor Judy Hawn of First Methodist Church of Athens, Texas, officiating.