City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Alma Rose Allen
Garner, North Carolina
Age 88.
Died 04/17/2026.
Rose was born on November 6, 1937, in Clinton, North Carolina, where she was raised and graduated from Clinton High School, Class of 1955. She spent much of her career working in quality control at Data General, where her strong work ethic and attention to detail reflected the values she carried throughout her life.
A devoted mother of four, Rose built a life centered around family, independence, and quiet strength. She was the beloved daughter of the late Hallie James Parker and Evelyn Marshburn Ballance, and stepdaughter of the late William Edgar Ballance.
She was preceded in death by her siblings Margaret Walton, James Dickie Parker, Jerry Parker, and Frances Parker. She is survived by her sisters Patsy Tew and June Hatch; her four children, Frances Naylor Cooper, Helen Naylor Strickland, Melinda Naylor Tanner, and Nathan Mark Allen; her cherished friend, Ryan Ennis; nine grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren, all of whom were a cherished part of her life.
Rose, also known as Grandma Rose, was a truly unique woman and grandmother. She was kind-natured, independent, loyal, witty, and just the right amount of sassy. A woman of few words, she believed in hard work, self-reliance, and minding your business. Her home was her sanctuary, where she lived a peaceful and quiet life, often with Fox News playing in the background as she planned her next gardening project or prepared a meal.
She had a remarkable green thumb, growing beautiful flowers and vegetables that reflected her care and patience. In the kitchen, she was unmatched—known for cooking extravagant Southern meals that could feed an army, whether there were two people or twenty at the table.
Some of the most treasured memories of Rose are the summers spent at her backyard pool, surrounded by her grandchildren, and the countless meals she lovingly prepared. Though she may not have always said much, she showed her love in ways that mattered most—through her presence, her cooking, and the home she created for her family.
A graveside service will be held on May 16, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Sandy Grove Church in Angier, North Carolina. Family and friends are invited to gather afterward at her home in Garner for lunch and a time of remembrance.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.