JEAN RITA ALLEN

Jean was born in DuBois, PA, the sixth daughter, the thirteenth and LAST child of Laura Baumgardner and Cornelius "Con" Allen. Her father was serving as Postmaster of DuBois (1913-1922) when she was born and he also owned and managed his shoe store continuing to do so until 1932. Jean liked to tell the story about her mother and the pragmatism of having 16 children (13 living children and 3 dead.) She remembers sitting in the kitchen doing chores and complaining about the fact that she was the only one in the family that had to wear glasses since she was little. Her mother very calmly turned to her and said, "You are lucky to be here at all. Be happy to wear your glasses."

She was only nine years old when her father, seriously ill in the hospital for a year, was sent by his doctors to Florida for rest. Jean was a long-time witness to the physical decline of the once powerful Cornelius Allen. One of the Florida days stories that has survived is Jean's question about a boy in her Miami school who always had a couple of mean looking men in black suits guarding him. She found out that the boy was Al Capone's son!

Brother Jack always loved to tell the story about Jean's brand of humor. He remembers the two of them having kitchen duty. In the days before garbage disposals most people had a sink strainer to drain liquid from the pots and plates. It was spaghetti night and Jack was needling Jean with his usual wisecracks and jokes when Jean calmly took the strainer basket overflowing with the remnants of 15 spaghetti dinners and placed it over Jack's head. Of course a few whirls of the head led to one disaster after another along with peals of laughter.

Jean performed at the end of the family musical shows. She was only one year old for the big production in 1916. She was a lover of music and wanted to attend the Eastman School of Music for her college degree. The school nuns gave her musical training on the piano and pipe organ and of course she played duets with sister Elymra.

Jean's parents insisted that she have a career to support herself and they wanted her to try nursing. As she was the dutiful daughter she took off for Buffalo, NY to receive her nursing degree from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, class of 1937. It was probably the year after Jean graduated and was working at a hospital in Buffalo that she was involved in a terrible accident. She and a doctor and other staff were ride alongs in an ambulance on the way to the scene of an accident and there was a collison and all were injured. Jean broke her pelvis and was in the hospital for a long time in Buffalo. The recovery was so lengthy that her parents became anxious and wanted her to recuperate at home and she finally did return to mend on Weber Avenue. It was a timely return because her father became ill and when she recovered she was able to help her mother take care of him.

Jean then went to work as a general nurse at the DuBois Hospital for five years prior to switching to private practice. She had a high school beau that awaited her return from New York. He was a handsome lad named Vince Rokaski and he wanted to marry her, but Jean was deeply involved in caring for her family and their relationship ended.

After the death of her father in 1940 Jean moved with her mother, sister Elymra, niece Nancy and brother Ed to the Allen house at 203 South State Street. (It was near the corner of West Weber.) We think the move happened around the time that Ralph was married in 1942. Ed took on the job of enlarging the house to create two more bedrooms.

When Laura Baumgardner Allen died in 1950 Jean felt she had not only lost her mother but also her best friend. She suffered from debilitating migraines that plagued her since childhood. Dr. Tyson, her opthomoligst boss and friend, suggested that she attend a retreat, after which Jean moved and took a job at St. Vincent Hospital in Erie in 1958. Charlotte Wright, one of the friends from the retreat helped her over several hurdles. Jean asked Charlotte, who was from Rochester, NY, to go with her to Erie and Charlotte was ready for a change plus she wanted to give Jean the support she needed. They lived in Erie, PA and both worked at St. Vincent Hospital for two years. Dr. Tyson wrote often asking her to return to DuBois and his office; brother Ed and sister Elymra wanted her to come home and bring friend Charlotte. The women moved to DuBois to work - Jean at Dr. Tysons for 35 years and Charlotte at Rockwell International for 34 plus years.

Jean's hobbies were playing the piano and dancing. She was a lovely dancer and her friend De Miller would take her out for an occasional evening. She also liked to read. Jean had a long term relationship with an organization that was called Community Concerts. They recruited the brightest new music stars to come to DuBois and sold tickets to a subscribed membership. Jean was a well know member of this concert going crowd.

Jean traveled with her friend Connie Ferraraccio, who worked at DuBois Hospital, to Europe and Canada. Jean and Charlotte Wright took many trips together. Special remembrances were the visit to Aileen Allen Ware and her family way out in Wisconsin and a visit to Nancy Roller DePrisco in Florida. Jean loved visiting her family and the family reunions at her house.

After Jean's brother Ed died, Jean asked Charlotte to move into the State Street house and thank goodness because Charlotte cared for Jean at the end of her life. Jean had wanted to sell the State Street house ever since her mother had died because it needed so much work done to major parts especially the foundation. Ed wanted to keep the house but when he died Jean announced her decision to sell which never occurred because she was too ill. Jean lived another four years after Ed but she had cancer and after surgery at Danville Hospital died eleven days later at the hospital.

Jean is remembered by her sister-in-law Helen Allen as having the most wonderful and gracious way with people. She liked to take the young ones in the family under her wing and give them the support they needed. Jean's niece Margaret "Jeanne" Smith moved from DuBois when her aunt was fifty-eight but remembers her guidence and support as a child being a major influence in her life. Jeanne lived with her aunt as a toddler when her mother was ill and they developed a special bond. Jeanne remembers weighing only 35 pounds in the second grade and that her Aunt Jean would put her in the kitchen for a continuous feed. Jeanne toasts her aunt for expanding her cultural horizons by providing music lessons as well as tap, ballet and gymnastics classes. Jean taught her niece roller skating, ballroom dancing and shared her love of classical music, reading and curiosity about the world. She became her niece's Girl Scout leader when no one else volunteered! While in grade school on Saturday mornings Jeanne remembers going with her aunt to Dr. Tyson's office. Niece Jeanne performed office duties and was paid an hourly wage. After work the two went to the bank to deposit the money in the Christmas account. At Christmas, niece Jeanne had a plentiful supply of cash from the "padded" account to go gift shopping with her aunt.

Each Sunday after church Jeanne remembers congregating with all her aunts, uncles and cousins at "the house" after church sharing the previous weeks' activities and finding out what was happening in the family for the oncoming week. It was inevitable that the day ended with Aunts Jean and Elymra playing songs for a sing fest that always included the old favorites like "Biycle Built For Two" and then extended into the dancing phase with the "Irish Jig" and ending with "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers." In true Allen tradition the entertainment continued with all of the nieces and nephews having a turn at the piano or performing a dance or song. Niece Jeanne remembers her aunt as the "family mentor."She took an interest in their activites, school work and spiritual growth. She taught us the value of a good education, goal setting and counseled us about financial matters and savings." She was concerned about everyone in her family and community and took the time to care for those that were in her circle. Jean had the talent to offer guidance without criticism. Nephew Jack Allen remembers her as the anchor for the Allen family. She maintained the family home providing a haven for the Allen siblings. Jean was the last of the Allens to reside at the house that provided so many memories for all of us.