Alberta Marie Allen

Born Aurora Quinonez on April 21, 1933 and went to her heavenly home on December 8, 2024, she was 91 years old. When Aurora started grade school her teacher called her by Alberta, and thus her name was changed. Later a high school girlfriend started calling her Birdie and her name was changed again. Alberta was born in Fresno, California to Pedro and Refujio Quinonez, she was one of 15 children, 10 of whom lived to adulthood. She was the thirteenth child and ironically 13 became her lucky number and she used that number throughout her life. She is preceded in death by her parents, 4 brothers (John, Manual, Peter & David), 3 sisters (Mary, Vera & Linda), and her beloved husband, Ray Charles Allen, whom she was married to for 62 wonderful and exciting years. Alberta is survived by two sisters, Rachel Inderbitzen and Josephine Haddix, her daughters Annette Rendon, Jennifer Pardon and her husband Donald Pardo, Lorraine (Lori) Wallace and her son David Allen and his wife Mary Allen. She also has 9 grandchildren, Jordan, Brandon & his wife Kenia, Jeremy, Gabriel (a former Marine Sergeant) and his wife Lucy, Brittney and her husband Mark, Jessica and her husband Brandon, Cameron, Collin and Colton, and also 14 precious great grandchildren, Vash, Eligh, Worrick, Juliana, Jace, Jaylene, Marcus, Kensie, Rylee, Macee, Emree, Gabryel, Jenson & Arabella.

Being born into a large family and marrying Ray, who also came from a large family, she is survived by in-laws, Robert Allen and his wife Carol, Barbara (Allen) Burr, a great number of nieces and nephews (great and great-grand), all of whom she knew and loved. Alberta lived all of her life in California, mainly Fresno, with the exception of 3 years spent in Rochester, Michigan, where Ray was born and raised. After Ray was honorably discharged from the Air Force, they moved to Rochester and lived there from 1956 to 1959. She met Ray in 1954, when he called her for a date, but she was headed out to a New Years Eve party, she asked him to come along and 8 months later they were married on August 27, 1955. Soon their children appeared, Annette in 1956, Jennifer in 1957, Lori in 1958 and David in 1959.

Prior to meeting Ray, Alberta worked various jobs and worked a time for a Doctor’s office in Firebaugh, CA. After marrying Ray, Alberta was a homemaker for 17 years. During that time she was a yard duty monitor at her children’s elementary school and chauffeuring them to their catechism classes, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and Boy Scouts meetings and other various activities. She decided to take a vacation from all of that and started working for J. C. Pennys in 1971 in their finance division and left there to work for Bullard Uniform for approximately 18 years. She retired from the uniform shop in 2011, she was 78.

Alberta loved to sew and made lots of clothes for her children, mostly dresses for the girls. She skillfully but slowly perfected her cooking skills from helping her mom cook (flour tortillas where an early staple) and learned a lot from her mother-in-law, Helen (who was a great cook!), things like chicken-n-dumplings, macaroni salad and biscuits and gravy (a family favorite). She also learned and made a couple times a year, her mother-in-laws home made rolls, they were so delicious! Alberta was a great dancer from her early teenage years and she and Ray took ballroom dance classes and were fabulous on the dance floor, they could give Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers some competition. They were members of a dance club, Los Amigos Dance Club, that had once month dance parties, and were members of an Optimist Club that did fund raisers for kids in need and mentored them as well. Since her husband loved to travel, they visited as much of the 50 states as they could and took a cruise or two. Their son David did a stint doing van conversions and Ray bought one to convert and then Ray & Alberta took off on a one month road trip, and lived to tell the tales. After retirement, Alberta turned her focus to gardening and thrift stores. She grew many flowering plants, vegetables and fruits. She would collect seeds and cuttings from everywhere and everyone. Her favorite thrift stores were the Salvation Army and the Mission Thrift Store, and any yard sale that hung a sign.

Alberta was also a very loving, caring and devoted grandmother to her 9 grandchildren. She shared as much time as she could to attend their many performances and activities. They loved being with her and insisted on having their own day with her. She would take them to parks, she’d play tennis and basket ball with them and lots of other activities. Alberta also was very devoted to her great-grandchildren (they range in age from 21 years old to 4 months old) and attended their many activities. She was one busy grandma!! It’s a good thing she still had a valid drivers license and a clean record at 91 years of age!

Recitation of the Holy Rosary will be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at Whitehurst Funeral Chapel 836 E Nees Ave Fresno, CA 93720 at 6:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 5770 N Maroa Ave Fresno, CA 93704 at 10:00am. A Private Family committal will follow the Mass.

A ”Celebration of Life” will be planned in early February 2025, details to come. Flowers are lovely and in lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to any scholarship for college tuition and expenses or The Cancer Foundation, they were dear to her heart.