Obituary for M. Diane Allbaugh

M. Diane Allbaugh

November 18, 1953 – May 14, 2018

M. Diane Allbaugh of Oklahoma City passed away in the Select Specialty Hospital in Oklahoma City on May 14, 2018, at the age of 64 years.

Marilyn Diane Allbaugh was born on November 18, 1953, in Oklahoma City to Robert and Gloria (Rogers) Campbell, Sr. She grew up in Oklahoma City, where she attended Oklahoma City Public Schools before graduating from Putnam City West High School in 1972. She furthered her education by attending Cameron University in Lawton, where she received a bachelor’s degree in education. She taught in many Oklahoma public school districts for many years. She later received her master’s degree in communication and her juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. She married Joe M. Allbaugh on January 2, 1985, in Gunnison, Colorado. Mrs. Allbaugh served as an attorney for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, an attorney with Hance Scarborough in Austin, Texas, of counsel with Barbour, Griffith and Rogers in Washington D.C., and of counsel to the New York law firm of Entwistle & Cappucci. Her legal work spanned the federal, state, county and administrative jurisdictions and took her to numerous federal government agencies and departments. As an attorney and government affairs consultant, she represented a unique cross-section of clients, including public utilities, higher education institutions, healthcare organizations and telecommunications companies.

A tenacious businesswoman with a drive to protect children, Diane fundraised for and founded the Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Austin, Texas. Opened under her leadership, the Texas Regional Office provides safety education to children, families, schools and the larger community in Texas. It also provides training and resources to law enforcement and others who investigate crimes against children, specifically child sexual exploitation. “She would ask for what she needed and more often than not, she would get it,” said friends and family. “Her passion for protecting children and the innocence of childhood was contagious, and Diane could persuade you to do anything.” She had the ability to be both persistent and gentle as she accomplished the things she set out to do on behalf of others. No one could say “no” to Diane because she always put the children ahead of herself. Her legacy will be one of hope for thousands of children.

She was a member of the Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City. Other memberships included the District of Columbia, Texas and Oklahoma Bar Associations and she was a board member of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She enjoyed fresh water fishing and was passionate about attending professional baseball games.

She is survived by her husband, Joe M. Allbaugh of Oklahoma City; a daughter, Taylor Allbaugh Ramirez (JR) of Austin, Texas; two sons, David Birdwell of Norman, Chase Allbaugh of Oklahoma City; brothers, Dan Campbell (Robyn), David Campbell, Jeff Schmidt (Dawn); sisters, Sharon Campbell, Cyd Campbell, Caren Chrisman (Jim), Peggy Campbell, Julie Jones (Jim), Christie Sweet (Joel) ; a sister-in-law, Sharon Campbell; and two grandchildren, Oscar Boyle of Oklahoma City and Ryilynd Jayne Ramirez of Austin, Texas; her mother, Gloria Campbell-Whisler of Bethany, Oklahoma; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Robert J. Campbell, Sr., and brother, Robert J. Campbell, Jr.

Services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Monday, May 21st in the Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City, with Rev. Randy Shrauner officiating. Burial will be at 3:00 p.m. in the Blackwell Cemetery.

Casketbearers will be Chase Allbaugh, Jason Allbaugh, Charlie Fowler, Johnathan Chrisman, Oscar Boyle and Shawn Rexford.

Memorials have been established in her honor with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Texas Chapter, the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and the Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City, in c/o Roberts and Son Funeral Home, 120 W. Padon, Blackwell, Oklahoma 74631.