She was born in Aurora, Illinois on November 10, 1918 and lived in that city for 80 years. She attended North Central College until her education was interrupted by illness. In 1940, after her recovery, she married her “life’s companion and only love”, Claude LeRoy Allen (who passed on in 1997). He owned and operated Allen’s Food Market, a neighborhood grocery store. Alice and Claude raised their three sons and, as the boys became more independent, Alice worked at the store for the rest of their 52 year run.
Alice was reared in a family of 8 siblings - 7 girls and one boy. Her father was an engineer for the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by sisters: Margaret, Ruth and Beth. She is survived by sons: Gary, Cliff (Sally) and Keith (Lois); sisters Marian (Lowry), Dorothy (Bixby), brother Don (Claire) Mercer, sister Cynthia (Parham) and many nieces and nephews. Alice is grandmother of six and great-grandmother of eight.
She had a wide range of interests: from opera to trains; refinishing furniture to artfully handwritten letters. But she paid most attention to what her people were doing and often provided the grounded perspective that they needed. She was introduced to email ten years ago and developed her internet skills to include searching and shopping but most importantly keeping the flow of information and pictures moving around her far flung family. People beyond family members have said they don’t understand why she touched them so, but that they treasure the experience.
A Memorial Gathering will be held to celebrate Alice’s life on Saturday October 13, 2012, from 3:00 until 5:00 pm (with Remembrances at 4:30 pm) at the Wulff Woodbury Funeral Home, 2195 Woodlane Dr, Woodbury. At a later date, she will be interred next to her husband Claude, at Lincoln Memorial Park in Aurora, Illinois. Memorials are preferred to the Claude L. Allen Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (http://www.communityfoundationfrv.org/fund_profiles-allen.asp).
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