Etta Marie (Hollatz) Allen

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am on Friday, November 15, 2024, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 8311 W. 93rd Street, Overland Park, KS with visitation one hour prior to the service. The burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa, KS. Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Cross Catholic Church.

Etta was born February 21, 1922, on a farm near Garner, Iowa to Otto & Alvina (Bohn) Hollatz. Her father died when she was 9 years old and her mother moved the family to Garner, Iowa and raised her three children.

She attended Garner Schools and graduated in 1940 and moved to Kansas City in 1944. She had a career in accounting including the Bureau of Land Management in Billings, MT; US Corps of Engineers in KC; and the US Dept of Agriculture in KC where she retired after 31 years of Government service in 1986.

She married Ralph A. Allen in May 1954 at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park, KS. They lived in Overland Park, KS and had two children, Becky & Mike. They enjoyed traveling with their family throughout the US & Canada in their travel trailer. During retirement they enjoyed several cruises to Alaska, along the Northeast coast and international trips including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. Her family was always number one in her life. She was always present for the many activities that her children were involved with at any point in time.

She genuinely enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and watching them flourish. Every conversation included her boasting about her grandkids.

She sold her home of 52 years and moved to the Atrium’s senior living community where she resided for the last 10+ years. There she met so many wonderful people that were her friends. She could usually be found playing any card game or bingo, attending daily mass, or simply enjoying the company of another resident chatting about their respective lives.

She was a founding member of Holy Cross Catholic Church and the Sunshine Club, and a member of National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE).

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2011, parents and siblings, Doris Gernant, and Clayton Hollatz.

She is survived by her daughter, Rebecca (Stephen) Rimmer, Olathe, KS and son, Michael Allen (his partner Patti Towns), Reno, NV, and four grandchildren, Taylor, Olivia, Madeleine Rimmer & Nicole Allen-Towns and many nieces and nephews.