Allison Gross Wallace

Allison Gross Wallace ascended to Heaven into the arms of her gracious and loving Lord on March 24, 2020, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer. Allison was born on September 28, 1964, in Houston, TX to Susan and Richard (Potsy) Gross. She attended River Oaks Elementary and St. John’s School in Houston, then attended college at Vanderbilt University. In 1985, she met the love of her life, John Eldon Wallace, and they married in 1987 at a beautiful farm wedding in Chappell Hill, TX. She loved John more than life itself and they shared an incredible marriage together for over 32 years.
Allison was an uncommonly kind person, who lived her life for Christ, family and friends. In her authentic and loving manner, Allison touched many people and many people loved Allison. Her greatest joy and accomplishment in life was raising her four sons, whom she loved dearly. With her calm demeanor and devotion to Christ, Allison created a happy home for her sons, and she and John built a unique and loving environment in which their boys grew into men of faith, sharing Allison’s qualities of love and kindness. She took great joy in the closeness of her four boys and their love for one another. The later addition of two daughters-in-law was an answered prayer for Allison and these two beautiful women of incredible faith were a true blessing for her. Allison and John were also recently blessed with the birth of their first grandchild, Sophie Allison Wallace. This was the gracious Lord providing incredible joy when it was needed the most.
Allison is survived by her husband, John; their sons John Eldon Wallace Jr. (and his wife Melissa); William (Will) Harrison Wallace (and his fiancé Ellie Williams); Wesley (Wes) England Wallace and Robert (Rob) Preston Wallace; granddaughter Sophie Allison Wallace; her mother and father, Richard (Potsy) Harrison and Susan Black Gross; her brother Richard Harrison Gross, Jr. (and his wife Lori); her sister Susan Gross Reedy (and her husband Rob); nieces and nephews Allison England Foutch, Hayden Foutch Ostendorf (and her husband Danny); Richard Harrison Gross III; and Graham Beaton Gross. She is also survived by her mother-in-law Doris Wallace Reagan, brother-in-law Bruce Wallace, Jr. (and his wife Pat), sister-in-law Martha Wallace Greene and their families, along with many aunts, uncles and cousins. She loved each of you dearly.
As one of the Lord’s many servants, Allison prayed with many of “her girls” at Moms In Touch and with many other loving women in multiple prayer groups. She and her sister, Susan, were Bible Study Leaders at Joy of the Lord at Chapelwood. It was at JOL where Allison and Susan found the full meaning of faith and relationship with Christ. This bond of sisters and the Lord was beautiful. Her final prayer platform was with her Soul Sisters and was a source of pure joy and happiness for Allison. Allison also loved and treasured her close group of friends at Beacon Book Club. She remained very close with her girlfriends from St. John’s School and Vanderbilt and shared incredible love and laughter with these lifelong friends. Allison was an avid sports fan and loved to read a good sports page with her morning coffee. Some of her fondest memories were watching her sons participate on sports team at St. John’s, Post Oak LL, SFL and other teams throughout the city. On most any day, Allison could be found running the trail at Memorial Park or throughout the neighborhood. But her favorite activity of all was being in the presence of her boys, cooking a great dinner and watching whatever sports were in season.
Reading the hundreds of letters that her sweet friends and our son’s friends have written to her over the past 3 months, the common theme was to thank her for bringing them to faith and being their unwavering friend. They admired how she communicated in prayer and the way her love of Christ showed through in her family, her gentle spirit, and her contentment in life. We are so thankful to our many friends for their outpouring of love, prayer, and support for Allison and our family during her
battle and journey through cancer. Our family is also deeply appreciative of the care Allison received during her illness, including that of her team at MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as others at Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann. We are humbled, truly blessed, and grateful.
Due to current government restrictions, the family will hold a private interment and a celebration of Allison’s life with friends, family, and loved ones will be held on a later date. For those wishing to contribute, a scholarship fund has been established at St. John’s School in Allison’s name. Gifts in Allison's memory can be made online at www.sjs.org/allison-wallace-fund or by mail to St. John's School, 2401 Claremont Lane, Houston, Texas 77019. For further details regarding the scholarship or other ways to donate, you may contact Mark Dini at mdini@sjs.org.