Rachelle Felice Allen

Rachelle Felice Allen was born to the late Eugene T. and LaVerne E. Allen on August, 26, 1955 in Washington, DC. The last child to join her parents and siblings Keavan T. Brooks, LaTanya R. Allen-Shabazz and Lamar D. Allen.

Rachelle known to many by the nickname Rae Felice received her formal education in Washington, DC. Her father loved to bake and was very involved in his community and her mother loved to travel. These traits were passed down to Rachelle where her passion became cooking, sewing and traveling.

Through her young adult life Rachelle found companionship with Lawrence S. Coley, Sr. where in November of 1977 they wed. Through this union Rachelle found her value in being a mom of two daughters JaVae and Chanel and a son Lawrence Jr. While her children were young Rachelle took to sewing more actively often times creating her own designs and dressing her girls in her creations. This passion created her company Rae Felice Fashions. With the desire to get Rae Felice Fashions noticed Rachelle ventured out and hosted her own fashions shows thus leading to her designs being worn by the winner of the Ms. Full Figured DC pageant in the 80’s and Ms. DC for the nationally televised Ms. America pageant. Rachelle created many designs for her family and friends with a real passion for weddings.

While assisting her father with many catering events Rachelle took her love of cooking and worked alongside her father as a caterer bringing to life Rae Rae’s Kitchen. This passion became a dream to want to open a restaurant or food truck. Unfortunately, life only allowed her to use her home to cater for friends, family and businesses. As she and her sister got older they became travel partners to their mom LaVerne “the Traveling Diva” thus pushing her passion in to traveling to Jamaica, Bahamas, Italy and investing in timeshares to spend quality time with her daughter JaVae and host of friends. Rachelle would help her niece Shayla, prepare for fashion shows. Schooling her on creative fashion ideas and tips. Fashion and talking about life and traveling was their common bond.

Rachelle always had a big heart and opened her home to many people. Due to her own personal struggles where she wanted to see the better in people. Rachelle had a passion to mentor and help people who were in need. With her caring heart she became a surrogate mom and Godmother to many and treated them all like her own. She took pride in helping single parents with their kids and investing in assisting women with bettering their lives by becoming a big supporter in providing clothes and skills to women so they could be equipped to go out into the work force.

In the late 90’s Rachelle traveled down the path to love again where she married George C. Williams. Through this union her love of music flourished. She and her daughter Chanel became very active working and promoting for a local cover group called H.A.L.O.. After taking a break from the group, the era brought on the title as Grandma / Panma. After years she refocused her attention to supporting the passion of performing arts within her only granddaughter. She then ventured out again to work alongside an old friend and her nephew L.A. to create a band and the group 4NaymeSake.

As a supportive mother she took her last international trip with her mother to Italy to support her only son Lawrence while he was stationed there with the Navy. Once his term was up, Rachelle was focused on all of her kids being back in the DMV along with all of her grandkids now growing quickly before her eyes.

Over the years, Rachelle was known for her survivor skills and spoke of them often when her story could help others. She was a survivor of Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer. Unfortunately, the past year was not as good to her as the years before. Her cancer resurfaced and attacked her Bone Marrow thus giving her Multiple Myeloma and Kidney Failure. During this time, she suffered two strokes, a broken hip and two seizures. Although her health was declining, she wanted to make sure that she was present when her granddaughter put on her cap and gown and was celebrated by her youth auxiliary sponsors. Trying to battle her new health challenges Rachelle with her kids and grandkids by her side every step of the way, she fought hard to try to get better and keep some since of normalcy to the life she lived.

God called Rachelle to join all of those who had passed before her and gave her wings on August 3, 2020. She leaves to cherish her memory, daughters JaVae T. Allen and Chanel M. Coley, son, Lawrence S. Coley, Jr., nephews Lamar D. Allen, Jr., and Donte Felder, niece Shayla J. Shabazz, granddaughter Jhanaijia R. Daughtrey, biological grandsons Geordan E. Barrett, Markel CK Coley and Raphael L. Coley-Arenas , surrogate grandsons Damien D. Brown, Samuel G. Brown, III, aunt Bronzella Allen, Godmother Juanita Hawkins, sister-in-law Venus Lee, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends.