McALESTER — Carl Lee Allison, 80, of West Monroe, La., died Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013. at his home.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ with Mike Kellett officiating. Burial will be at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Calhoun, La. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home of West Monroe.
He was born June 2, 1933, in Krebs. He loved sports. He received 16 letters from McAlester High School, where he was later inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.
He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he was a four year starter in football and baseball.
He was drafted by the Chicago Bears and also was offered a contract from the Boston Red Sox.
Allison reinstated the football program at Harding University in 1959 and was the team's head coach through the 1963 season. He was also the school's head baseball coach from 1960-63 and from 1967-69 and served as Harding's assistant athletics director from 1967-69.
In 1970, he helped establish the Whites Ferry Road Church School of Preaching, serving as director for 22 years.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara Aileen Allison; children, Carla Lee Jeter and husband, Allen, Dirk Allison and wife, Marcy, and Lori Easterly and husband, Mike; grandchildren, Summer Dale and husband, Layton, Brandon Jeter and wife, Ashley, Brittney Patterson and husband, Seth, Allyson Wallace and husband, Michael, Kourtney Free and husband, Mason, Seth Easterly, Drew Easterly and Christa Martin and husband, Jimmy; 10 great-grandchildren; brother, Walter Allison; sister, Geri Mills, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his son and daughter-in-law, Darrin Wesley and Susan Patricia Allison; parents, two sisters and brother.
Pallbearers will be his grandsons, Layton Dale, Brandon Jeter, Seth Patterson, Seth Easterly, Drew Easterly, Mason Free and Jimmy Martin.
Honorary pallbearers will be the elders of WFR Church.
Memorials may be made to WFR Church World Radio and Relief ministries.
