SHARON KAY CONNALLY ALLEN,
died peacefully at her Little Rock, Ark., home on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Her passing marks the end of a remarkable life. Sharon was born on June 19, 1944. She spent her early years in Ola and graduated with honors from Ola High School in 1962. Sharon moved to Little Rock after graduation and began working at Floyd Payne Company where she met her husband, Bill. In 1968, Sharon joined Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield as a claims clerk in the company’s Medicare operations. It was the beginning of a career that would span 40 years and leave a lasting legacy on healthcare financing both in Arkansas and nationally.
In her first year at Arkansas Blue Cross, Sharon was promoted to a supervisory position. By 1980, she had joined the company’s executive staff. As a senior executive leader, Sharon served as executive vice-president of Customer Operations, of Government Programs and of Enterprise Networks. She was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 1997 and became the organization’s President and Chief Operating Officer in 2002. Sharon held numerous national leadership positions in the healthcare financing industry and had particular impact and expertise in the Medicare Program. She served on the Executive Committee of the Medicare Part A National Users Group and co-chaired the Health Care Finance Administration’s Utilization Review Technical Advisory Group. A past president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Business Women’s Association, Sharon was honored to be named a “Woman of the Year.” In 1994, she was named one of three Arkansas Professional Women of Distinction. Sharon retired in 2008 to spend time with her husband of 46 years, Bill, and to make more frequent “investments” at Oaklawn Casino and Race Track.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, her parents, Joe Carl McMullen and Tina Walker McMullen, and brotherin-law, Ronnie Duffield. She is survived by sisters, Susan Duffield and Carla Hill (Steve), brother, Robert McMullen (Kay), nephews, Matthew, David and Luke Duffield, and Robbie McMullen, and niece, Stephanie Guidroz. A special thanks and appreciation to her in-home caregivers.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Monday, June 28, 2021, at Central Church of Christ, 823 West 6th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201. In honor of Sharon, memorials may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 11324 Arcade Dr., Little Rock, Ark., 72212, American Heart Association, 909 West 2nd St., Little Rock, Ark., 72201, CARTI Cancer Center, 8901 Carti Way, Little Rock, Ark., 72205, or to the charity of one’s choice. Sharon’s online guestbook may be signed at: www.smithfamilycares.com.