Anita H. Allen

Leaving deep and abiding love for her husband, family and friends, Anita H. Allen passed away

on October 28, 2022 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Anita was an Arlingtonian and

loving wife for nearly 65 years. She will always be remembered for a long list of wonderful

qualities; including her brilliance, integrity, kindness, grit, work ethic, effortless elegance, and

her lovely voice, though her striking eyes could do a lot of the talking.

Anita hailed from a coal mining region in West Virginia, daughter of Gladys Davis Heflin and

James Ensel Heflin. She spent her school-age years in Ashland, VA. Relationships with

teachers and professors’ families in the small college town were foundational. Naturally, she

became a teacher when she graduated from then Longwood College in 1957. All of her

students were invited when she married her hometown sweetheart, Jim, in 1958. It wasn’t long

before they moved to Arlington to build a life. Anita continued to teach. This time she

compassionately taught adult education to help students improve literacy and their lives. She

went on to work at American University where she also earned her advanced degree - in

education, of course. Anita later spent most of her career, over 23 years, with The Nature

Conservancy. She retired in 2000.

Along the way, Anita created a loving and gentle home and started a family. As an only child,

her ambitions always included children. She had three and bestowed family names upon each.

It turned out that her children were the conduit to the highlights of her life - her grandchildren.

To those lucky enough to be counted among them, she was known simply as “Nina”, a title

laced with love that will continue to live on in their hearts and remembrances. She enjoyed

every one fully and was so proud of them all. Everyone adored being with her and loved

making her toss her head back in laughter and that was easy to do, as she lived life with

unfettered joy. If you were going over for a visit, you would find Anita in the kitchen making tea,

which was really the main use for that space. She would tell you herself that she only had a

kitchen because it came with the house - though it served as a wonderful gathering place and

often became jammed with happy people.

Anita generously shared her time and talents. She worked on political campaigns and Arlington

County’s Civil Service Commission. She helped organize the Arlington July 4th parade. She

supported many non profits. At Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church where she was a

parishioner for decades, Anita read to children, volunteered in the office and helped with the

Community Assistance Program. She was a voracious reader and passionate writer and poet.

Anita enjoyed creating intricate needle work and Christmas stockings. She cherished holidays -

especially Thanksgiving, when there were also many family birthdays. She and her husband

had birthdays one day apart around then and it was always so special. She loved magnolias

and all flowers. Anita loved music and couldn’t get enough of what the Smithsonian Institution

and the Kennedy Center had to offer. For many years, she enjoyed season tickets to the

National Symphony and the Washington National Opera. She also loved bluegrass, a callback

to her roots.

Anita is mourned by her beloved husband of almost 65 years James R. Allen, Jr. and also her

devoted and admiring children and grandchildren; Doug and Sandra Allen (James and

Jonathan), Michael and Meredith McCollum (Gannon, Deanna, Clay, and Gillian), and Elizabeth

Truelove (Domenic and Aven LaRosa). She also considered herself to be a bonus, honorary

grandmother to Jake and Zack Allen.

Plans for Anita’s memorial are in progress as there was a recent fire at Mt. Olivet. Please watch

the Murphy Funeral Home (Arlington) site for an update. In lieu of flowers, please consider

assisting in your community, offering someone a temporary place to stay, acting as a mentor,

sending a perfectly thoughtful gift to a friend, reading to a child, helping someone edit a

resume, contributing to a loved one’s tuition, gifting a piece of jewelry to a bride, or having ice

cream for dinner. Anita would be in favor of all this and more. Contributions to the Fisher

Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation would also be a fitting tribute. Anita would be

honored.