Allan M. Ablow

Allan M. Ablow, of Marblehead, Massachusetts passed away on Friday, April 18, 2025 at the age of 95. Allan was the beloved husband of 71 years to Jeanette, a devoted father to Dr. Karen Ablow and Dr. Keith Ablow, and a cherished grandfather to Kipp Milone, Devin Ablow and Cole Ablow. He was a devoted son to his late father Daniel and mother Bessie.

Allan grew up in Salem, Massachusetts where he graduated from Salem High School. He then went on to graduate from Suffolk University, where he edited the Suffolk Journal, served in the National Guard and met Jeanette. When he was interviewed for the Suffolk Journal upon graduation and asked to define the most valuable thing he was taking away with him from Suffolk, he remarked, “My wife, Jeanette.”

Allan and Jeanette raised their family in Marblehead, where they lived for 66 years.

Allan was a member of the Board of Directors of Temple Israel in Swampscott and, later, a member of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead. He was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and was proud to wear their ring. He was a donor to many charities focused on finding the cure for cancer, protecting children and supporting America’s veterans.

Allan adored his many, many close friends and his neighbors (who also became his friends). Many counted on his sense of humor and close counsel to bring them joy and to lift them up during stressful times. He thought a great deal about the challenges that people in his life were facing and how he could lighten their burdens.

Allan worked for decades as a manufacturer’s representative wholesaling shoes and boots from leading U.S.-based footwear companies to retailers all over New England. He co-founded Gloucester Associates to further his work in the footwear industry. He loved his job, his colleagues and his customers and frequently said that he had “never had a single bad day at work.” That might explain why, year after year, he was named Salesman of the Year by the companies he represented.

A graveside funeral service for Allan will be held on Monday, April 21, at 12 PM at Temple Israel Cemetery at 506 Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Allan’s memory to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org).