Dorsis Carol Allen

Dorsis Allen of Fort Collins, Colorado passed peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. She had been on hospice care for a few weeks with liver disease. Members of her family were present during her care.

Her husband of 48 years, George ‘Al’ Allen died in 2023. Dorsis will be buried alongside Al at Fort Logan National Cemetery near Denver, Colorado. Dorsis is survived by her daughter, Vickie Leisy of Fort Collins, Colorado, and two sons: Gary Thomas of Cleveland, Ohio and Matt Allen of Litchfield Park, Arizona, ten grandchildren, and a beloved cat named Ringo. Dorsis recently celebrated her ninetieth birthday in Fort Collins, Colorado with eighteen family members.

Dorsis, the original “coal-miner’s daughter”, was born and raised near Charleston, West Virginia. Growing up, her family lived in a “holler” with a coal mine at the end. Her father, Grat Ball, was a coal miner and her mother, Nellie Ball, was in nursing. After high school she married and lived in Cleveland, Ohio where she had two children and later married Al in 1975. Al was a career Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard who served 28 years. They lived at several duty stations including New York City (Governor's Island), both New Orleans and Morgan City, Louisiana and Savannah, Georgia.

They lived in Savannah for fifteen years after Al retired from the Coast Guard. Dorsis worked as a department head at St. Joseph’s Hospital while Al worked a second career as the Safety/Environmental Officer at Colonial Oil. They both retired for good in 1999 and moved near St. Augustine, Florida where they lived for twenty years. They were active in many social events with other retirees and made many lifelong friends. Dorsis was a watercolor painter and loved to play games with friends and family. In 2018, Dorsis and Al moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to live near family and enjoyed their new found community at The Worthington.

Dorsis will be missed very much by friends and family.