Marion Jean Allen, 99, passed away on April 23, 2020, in Dallas, Texas. She was born on February 28, 1921, to Michael and Charlotte Sherman (Kessel) in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in Staunton, Illinois, reading books, climbing trees and playing golf. With her father, she attended many St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, and particularly loved the 1934 Gas House Gang team. 

She graduated salutatorian in 1939 from the all-girls high school at Monticello College in Godfrey, Illinois, where she learned to ride horses. She continued a lifelong interest in the sport of horse racing and attended many US racetracks. She graduated Smith College (MA) in 1942 with a BA in History, and maintained a lifelong interest in American and World History, particularly in WWII. 

In 1943, in St. Louis, Missouri, she married Dr. Melvin Allen of O’Fallon, Illinois. She went with Dr. Allen to Alabama for his US Army basic training before he left for Europe to serve in WWII. In his absence, she worked for the St. Louis Post Dispatch fashion page, which continued her interest in fashion. 

After the war, she and Dr. Allen raised two children and had a wonderful 67-year marriage. She loved to travel, and the family took many car trips to Cape Cod and Estes Park, Colorado. After the kids grew up, she and Dr. Allen continued traveling, visiting Europe, Hawaii and Hong Kong. She and Dr. Allen loved to dance and play golf. They had many friends in St. Louis and enjoyed hosting get togethers. 

She loved shopping for antiques and exploring small towns in Illinois, Missouri and the Texas Hill Country along the way. She was an avid reader, which provided a wide fund of knowledge to complement her amazing memory. Into her mid-90s, she completed the New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday. She loved visiting her daughter and her two grandchildren in Vermont and her son in Dallas, Texas. She and her husband moved to Dallas in 2004, when Dr. Allen’s health was failing, and she cared for him during his long illness. She continued to keep up with her grandchildren and then was able to meet her two great-granddaughters and enjoy many pictures of all five of her great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Michael Allen, of Dallas, Texas; her daughter, Mary Allen Stifler and son-in-law, Dr. David Stifler of Essex, Vermont; her granddaughter, Emily Stifler Wolfe and husband Patrick Wolfe of Bozeman, Montana; her grandson Andrew Stifler and his wife Caroline Stifler of Charlotte, Vermont; her great-grandchildren Eloise and Augustus Wolfe of Bozeman, Montana; and her great-grandchildren Madeline, Bowdoin and Finley Stifler of Charlotte, Vermont. 

A small family memorial service took place at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, Texas, on April 26, 2020. Condolences may be offered at Jewish Funerals/jewishfuneralsUSA.com.