City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Allen Paul
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 86.
Died 05/26/2026.
He began his career as a journalist at the Raleigh Times after graduating from Guilford College. He moved his young family to Washington, DC, taking a job as a speech writer. For many years, he ran a trade association, Agriculture Council of America, where he made lifelong friends. He returned to writing in the 1980s, completing Katyn: the Untold Story of Stalin’s Polish Massacre. A critically acclaimed bestseller, Katyn instilled in Allen a love of Poland and the Polish people. As a Fulbright Scholar, he and Betsy lived in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland. In 2008, the Polish president awarded Allen the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit. A memorable moment came in 2010 when Allen flew with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former president Lech Walesa to meet with Vladimir Putin, who finally acknowledged Soviet Union’s complicity in the Katyn massacre. Allen was invited to return to the site three days later with Poland’s president. He declined the trip and the plane crashed, killing all 96 passengers.
Allen and Betsy eventually returned to Raleigh where he continued to write. One of his favorite book topics focused on his beloved dog, Honey, a “Carolina Dog.” Just this year, he completed a book on Research Triangle Park co-authored with his son Mack due for release on October 6 and a novel about Poland titled My Warrior Queen. He had more planned. Allen also became deeply engaged in the economic recovery of Aurora following the devastation of Hurricane Irene in 2011. Allen was instrumental in the development of an industrial park that now houses a branch of Beaufort County Community College. He has maintained a home near Campbell’s Creek, which has long served as a gathering place for family and friends and the site of many of Allen’s best memories.
Allen’s greatest legacy relates to his family and all those he has helped through the years. He is survived by his wife, Betsy, his indomitable partner and supporter. He is also survived by children, Jennifer Paul, and former husband Parker Daniell, and Mack Paul, and wife Julie, of Raleigh. Allen was immensely proud of them and his grandchildren, Erin Daniell, Tyler Daniell, Emma Paul and Lee Paul as well as Emma’s husband, Matthew McMillan, great grandson, Ewan McMillan, and Erin’s fiancé Lamont Actkinson. Allen is predeceased by his parents Mack Allen Paul, Jr. and Elaine Mayo Paul and his brother Ken, who served in Vietnam and died too young in 1987. He is survived by siblings Jonathan, Mary and Chris – all of whom were with him on his last day. Allen was also close to their families: Brenda Paul (wife of Jonathan), Jonathan’s son, Soloman Paul, Suzanne Paul (wife of Chris) and their sons Bryan and Lucas. Many of them paid a visit during Allen’s final days.
Allen’s death creates a big hole for those who knew him. He will be missed but his memory and legacy will continue. (Donations can be made to the Partnership for Aurora-Richland Township Progress at https://www.partp.org/donate).
A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. on June 30, 2026 at Greg Poole, Jr. All Faiths Chapel in Dix Park, Raleigh.
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.